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Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness. Unfortunately it generally is largely underdisgnosed. Sufferers can have the symptoms for a number of years before being diagnosed with Narcolepsy.

People with narcolepsy are likely to become drowsy or fall asleep, these intermittent uncontrollable episodes can occur during any type of activity at any time of the day and may occur several times a day.  Drowsiness may persist for prolonged periods of time. Night-time sleep is generally also poor with frequent awakenings.

There are five classic symptoms of the disorder, 

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) - In most cases, this is the first symptom to appear. This is the overwhelming tiredness felt throughtout the day resulting in the inability to stay awake.

Cataplexy - This is the sudden loss of muscle tone, ranging from slight weakness such as limpness at the neck or knees, sagging facial muscles to complete body collapse. Episodes may be triggered by sudden  emotional reactions such as laughter, happiness, joy, surprise, anger or fear,and may last from a few seconds to several  minutes. The person remains conscious throughout the episode.

Sleep  paralysis - This is a temporary inability to talk or move when waking or when falling asleep. These episodes are generally brief, lasting a few seconds to minutes. This is often  frightening but is not dangerous.

Hallucinations
- These are vivid, often  frightening, dreamlike experiences that occur while dozing, falling asleep  and/or while awakening. They are primarily visual, but any of the other senses can be involved. These are called Hypnogognic Hallucinations when they occur at sleep onset and Hypnopompic Hallucinations when they occur on awakening.

Automatic behavior - Is when a person continues to function eg. talking, putting things away, etc. during sleep episodes, but awakens with no memory of  performing such activities. It is estimated that up to 40 percent of people with  narcolepsy experience automatic behavior during sleep episodes. 

Only about 20 to  25 percent of people with narcolepsy experience all five symptoms. The excessive daytime sleepiness generally persists throughout life, but cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations may not. 

The  symptoms of narcolepsy, especially the excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy, often become severe enough to cause serious problems in a person's  social, personal, and professional life.  Night time sleep does not include as much deep sleep, so the brain tries to "catch up" during the day, hence EDS. People with narcolepsy may visibly fall asleep at unpredicted moments such motions as head bobbing are common. People with narcolepsy fall quickly into what appears to be very deep sleep, and they wake up suddenly and can be disoriented when they do, dizziness is a common occurrence. They have very vivid dreams, which they often remember in great detail. People with narcolepsy may dream even when they only fall asleep for a few seconds.



Material on this website is intended as a source of general information only. It is not to be used for diagnosis or treatment.