Narcolepsy is one of the most damaging sleep disorders because it can strikes without warning, sending you into a sudden state of sleep, anywhere and at any time. The disorder can begin at any age, but symptoms usually appear between the ages of 10 and 25.
A narcoleptic person can’t stay awake for any long period of time – even if they’ve had plenty of sleep the night before. For someone with narcolepsy, it may be difficult to enjoy a normal personal life, let alone manage a professional work career with responsibilities.
Narcolepsy is often misdiagnosed as everyday depression, fainting, or seizures. There’s no known cure, but there are ways to manage and lessen the symptoms associated with this particular sleep disorder.
A person with narcolepsy will find himself excessively and overwhelmingly sleepy during the daytime, even though he may be getting 8 hours of sleep every night. A narcoleptic individual will feel an uncontrollable need to sleep, and they’ll nod off without warning for anywhere from a couple of minutes to up to an hour. When he wakes up, he feels refreshed but tires again slowly in the next hour or some and falls asleep again. The cycle repeats several times a day.
It can be embarrassing, humiliating and dangerous to fall asleep at the wrong time or wrong place. Many narcolepsy sufferers enroll in counseling to help them cope with the sleep disorder and learn how the sleep disorder affects their life with friends, family, and co-workers.
Narcolepsy is technically defined by excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep attacks, but there are other symptoms associated with the disorder, which can include cataplexy, hallucination, and automatic behavior and sleep paralysis.
Cataplexy is an intermittent condition where you loss all control of muscle function. You might slur your speech or hang your head, or fall down when your legs give out from beneath you. Episodes may be triggered by sudden emotional event such as anger, surprise, elation or fear, and may last from a few seconds to several minutes. The person remains conscious throughout the episode. This condition can occur daily or only once or twice a year. Cataplexy is almost exclusive to narcolepsy.
Hallucinations are vivid, dream-like experiences that occur when you fall into a fast REM sleep while half awake, dozing, falling asleep and/or while awakening.
The condition can be scary depending on what type of dream you’re having at that moment in time.
Sleep paralysis is the temporary inability to talk or move just before or after sleeping spells. It may last a few seconds to minutes. This is often may be very frightening to you and the people watching it happen but is not dangerous.
You wake up and see that you’ve accomplished something (usually not as well as you would if you were fully awake) and you know it’s due to the narcolepsy.
Automatic behavior is when you continue carrying on tasks such as talking, putting things away, etc. during sleep episodes, but awakens having no memory of performing such tasks. You wake up and see that you’ve accomplished something (usually not as well as you would if you were fully awake) and you know it’s due to the narcolepsy. It is estimated that up to 40 percent of people with narcolepsy experience automatic behaviors during sleep episodes.
No one really knows what causes narcolepsy, but scientists believe it may be genetics coupled with uncommon brain chemicals that respond to triggers in your environment. Scientists think narcoleptics may have imbalances in the chemicals that regulate sleep, such as a low level of hypocretin, which tells you when to wake up – and stay awake.
If you think you may have narcolepsy, your doctor usually will conduct a series of tests to confirm or rule out the condition. You’ll fill out a standard sleep questionnaire and may enroll in an overnight sleep study where electrodes are attached to your scalp to monitor your sleep cycles.
It’s important not to ignore this sleep disorder and manage it because the symptoms can have potentially harmful consequences. Aside from affecting your personal and professional relationships, narcoleptics run the risk of losing control of their cars while driving or causing a fire or burning themselves while cooking in their homes.
If you’re found to be suffering from narcolepsy, you have several treatment options to consider. Excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy can be controlled with medications.
In mild case of the sleep disorder, run of the mill, everyday stimulants may not be enough to keep you awake and functioning during the day. For more server cases, your doctor might prescribe something stronger, like the drug Provigil (modafinil), which controls sleepiness.
Antidepressants are often prescribed because they suppress REM sleep and aid in the elimination of cataplexy, paralysis, and hallucinations. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), such as imipramine and desipramine, and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac (fluoxetine) and Zoloft (sertraline), are helpful in controlling cataplexy. On the other hand, your doctor may have you start taking Xyrem (sodium oxybate or gamma hydroxybutyrate), which helps control both sleepiness and cataplexy and also helps with nighttime sleep.
You also have to be very cautious about making lifestyle changes that can help you control this disorder. Make sure you read labels on medications to see if they cause drowsiness, which can make your narcoleptic condition worse. In addition to medications, you can take control of your narcolepsy by scheduling short naps during the day and improving your sleep at night to reduce your daytime sleepiness. Regular exercise and avoiding certain substances like nicotine and alcohol can curb the effects of narcolepsy.
Don’t feel like narcolepsy has to control your life. Participating in a narcolepsy support group to talk to others about what you’re going through and follow a safety routine that ensures you won’t harm yourself (or others) if a sudden sleep attack should occur.
Read About The Other Forms of Sleep Disorders:
Sleep Eating Disorder
Sleepwalking
Night Terrors
Sleep Talking
Snoring Problems
Shift Work Sleep Disorder
Insomnia
Sleep Apnea
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder