It’s impossible to keep from sleeping at any time of the day — these attacks of excessive drowsiness which can be short or long and often last from a few seconds to several tens of minutes. They are characterized by a fast falling asleep, often in the phase of paradoxical sleep. The brain activity is identical to that of normal sleep, and the person sometimes maintains a certain muscle tone.
People may be small sleepers or heavy sleepers; this is independent of the disease. Being narcoleptic is not necessarily “too much sleep.” Above all, it has been proven difficult and impossible to stay awake at certain times of the day. Narcolepsy should not be confused with idiopathic hypersomnia where people must sleep a lot, without restoring capacity. In totality, when the narcoleptic comes out of its access; he recovered his faculties for a few minutes or a few hours. He is almost immediately able to get back to work because he does not have, or little, of time “muddy” before the reinstatement.
Attention Deficit and Memory Difficulty:
In some cases, the person may not have been aware of falling asleep. These diurnal bouts of sleep cannot be seen merely as periods of recovery from possible physical fatigue. Furthermore, prolonged fatigue can lead to more frequent and longer periods of sleep.
Many narcoleptic people are prone to periods of attention deficit and immediate memory difficulties. The most irritating example for the entourage is the fact that the narcoleptic person will ask the same question twice in a row when he has already been correctly answered to his question. The first answer given was forgotten in the second following. This disorder is not systematic. It occasionally occurs by short episodes: a kind of momentary “absence” of attentional and mnemonic cerebral abilities. This is not the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease, and forgetting is neither total nor life-threatening.
Automatic Acts:
Still quite often, the person can do odd acts of which she is not aware. They are made mechanically. This can be usual acts that are then meaningless, incongruous or unsuited to the present situation: undo the laces of his shoes in the street, put his wallet in the dishwasher. Do not be too worried about these acts that the person can criticize later but offer the person Modalert, which is safe and harmless if used correctly.
Be Sensitive:
Many people do not understand their ailment so, are bluntly insensitive to them. You often hear “You’re lucky to be able to sleep whenever you want! “, a statement made by narcoleptic people. People say in a wheelchair, “You’re lucky to be sitting all day.“?
This insensitive remark ignores two elements: on the one hand, the narcoleptic does not sleep when it wants, it undergoes the bouts of drowsiness, on the other hand, and its night sleep is of poor quality and can add several disturbances. Their fear is often mounted in the evening as they plan to face the hallucinations of falling asleep or training to resist drowsiness. There is always something to do before going to bed; visiting RXShopMD can often eliminate the anxiety that comes with facing the bed.
Causes of Narcolepsy
The reason for narcolepsy isn’t known; be that as it may, researchers have gained ground toward identifying genes connected with the disorder. These genes control the generation of chemicals in the brain that may flag sleep and wake cycles. A few specialists think narcolepsy might be as a result of a deficiency in the production of a chemical called hypocretin by the brain. Furthermore, researchers have found abnormalities in different parts of the brain associated with regulating REM sleep. These abnormalities add to symptom development. As indicated by specialists, it is likely narcolepsy includes various variables that interact to cause neurological dysfunction, and REM rest disrupt
Symptoms of Narcolepsy
Symptoms of narcolepsy include:
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS): Generally, EDS disrupts normal daily activities, regardless of whether an individual with narcolepsy has adequate rest during the night. Individuals with EDS experience mental cloudiness, absence of energy and focus, memory lapses, depression, as well as extreme fatigue.
Cataplexy: This symptom comprises of a sudden loss of muscle tone that leads to weakness and loss of intentional muscle control. It brings about symptoms like slurred speech or body breakdown, contingent upon the muscles involved, and is regularly activated by intense feelings, for example, amazement, laughter, or anger.
Hallucinations: Usually, these encounters are usually clear and frightening. The content is principally visual, yet any of different senses can be involved. These are called hypnagogic hallucinations when they go with sleep onset and hypnopompic hallucinations when they happen while awake.
Sleep Paralysis: This symptom is characterized by the temporary failure to move or talk while sleeping or waking up. It is usually brief, lasting a couple of seconds to a few minutes. After scenes end, individuals quickly regain their full ability to move and talk.
How is Narcolepsy Diagnosed?
A physical test and comprehensive medical history are fundamental for an appropriate diagnosis of narcolepsy. Although none of the significant symptoms is exclusive to narcolepsy, a few special tests, which can be performed in a sleep disorder facility or sleep lab, typically are required before a diagnosis can be set up. Two tests that are viewed as crucial in affirming a diagnosis of narcolepsy are the polysomnogram (PSG) and the multiple sleep latency tests (MSLT).
The PSG takes place overnight while a patient is asleep to record abnormalities in the sleep cycle. A PSG can help uncover whether REM sleep happens at abnormal occasions in the sleep cycle and can wipe out the likelihood that a person’s symptoms are as a result of other conditions.
The MSLT is done in the day to ascertain an individual’s tendency to fall asleep and to decide if segregated components of REM sleep encroach at wrong occasions during the waking hours. As a significant aspect of the test, an individual is asked to take four or five short naps mostly done two hours apart.
Albeit there is no cure for narcolepsy, the most debilitating symptom of the disorder (EDS and symptoms of irregular REM sleep, for example, cataplexy) can be controlled in most people with medication treatment. Sleepiness may be treated with amphetamine-like stimulants, while the symptoms of irregular REM sleep are treated with antidepressant medications.
Lifestyle adjustments, for example, keeping away from caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and overfeeding, regulating sleep schedules, planning daytime naps (10-15 minutes long), and building up a regular exercise and meal schedule may also help in reducing symptoms.
