Sleep Disorder Narcolepsy

Sleeping Disorder: Narcolepsy

By: Huey Davis

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleeping disorder that causes overwhelming sleepiness and fatigue. A patient diagnosed with narcolepsy experiences frequent urges to sleep during the day that can lead to periods of sleep that last for a few seconds to a few minutes. There are also rare cases where the patient falls asleep for a few hours. At night, a narcoleptic usually has difficulty sleeping and often experiences nightmares and frequent awakenings.

Narcolepsy is believed to affect approximately 200,000 Americans and around 3 million people worldwide. Symptoms usually begin to show during teenage years or early adulthood. Reports show that there is an equal chance for both males and females to suffer from this disorder.

Symptoms

Aside from extreme drowsiness and fatigue, narcolepsy is also indicated by four symptoms that vary in its degree of severity in each patient. It is often the case that some patients experience different combinations of these symptoms and it has been noted that one or more symptoms may not appear at all.

The four symptoms are cataplexy, a condition in which the patient experiences a sudden loss of voluntary muscle movement when dealing with strong emotions; vivid hallucinations that occur when falling asleep or waking up; paralysis during sleeping or waking up; and automatic behavior, in which a patient may continue to talk or move even while asleep but has no memory of such activities ever occurring when he wakes up.

Causes

The exact cause of narcolepsy still remains a mystery, however recent developments in medical science has led scientists to believe that there is a strong link between narcoleptic patients and specific genetic conditions. Studies conducted revealed that a certain genetic condition causes a person with narcolepsy to have very low levels of hypocretin or orexyn, a protein that controls a person’s appetite and sleeping cycle.

Treatments

While there is no cure yet for narcolepsy, there are some actions that can be taken to reduce the discomforts experienced by the patient. Symptoms like cataplexy and excessive drowsiness can usually be controlled by taking stimulants or antidepressants. Behavioral treatments are also available to help patients cope with their abnormal sleeping patterns.

Because patients tend to feel isolated or embarrassed of their condition, it is advised to participate in network or support groups. The understanding and empathy offered by support groups can prove to be critical in helping the patient live normally and increase their overall wellbeing.

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