The Sleep Disorder Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy
It isn’t one of the most common sleep disorders but it still can be extremely troublesome for someone who has it. Unlike sleep apnea where there is blockage in the back of the throat that causes you to stop breathing at night, Narcolepsy is a central nervous system disorder. The main problem with narcolepsy is falling asleep at any time and at any place during the day. This can be dangerous if you are driving a car plus it can also be very embarrassing. As you can also imagine the folks that have this disorder usually have lack of sleep at night.
Causes of narcolepsy
There is a chemical in the brain called hypocretin which helps us stay awake. There seems to be a shortage of this chemical in folks with narcolepsy.
Other causes are
- Autoimmune disease
- Lack of histamine
- Brain injuries
- Heredity
Narcolepsy symptoms
The main symptom that you would probably guess is falling asleep numerous times during the day, just out of nowhere. There are also other symptoms such as daytime drowsiness (extreme daytime sleepiness EDS), lack of energy, unable to remember things. These entire symptoms sound a lot like sleep apnea symptoms that is why you should definitely seek out your doctor so they can set you up with the proper testing.
For narcolepsy some of the tests are ECG and EEC plus checking to see if you have had anyone in your family who has or had narcolepsy.
Cataplexy
Cataplexy is where you lose muscle tone and strength while you are awake. Emotional swings can be the catalyst for this. People with narcolepsy often suffer from cataplexy as well.
Hallucination with narcolepsy
Those with this disorder often find that they have vivid hallucination while they sleep to the point that the dreams often seem real.
Narcolepsy treatments
Narcolepsy treatments include antidepressants that might also help with the catalepsy. Sleep aids at night and stimulants during the day. Medicine that helps increase the level of hypocretin. Exercise, eating right and sleeping on a regular basis will also help.
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