Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder known due to excessive daytime sleepiness and unexpected attacks of sleep. People with narcolepsy often have difficulty staying awake for long periods of time regardless of the situation. Narcolepsy can cause significant disruptions to your daily routine. Sometimes, narcolepsy can be accompanied by a sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy), which can be triggered by intense emotions. Narcolepsy with cataplexy is called type one narcolepsy. Uncontrollable Sleepiness (Narcolepsy)
Narcolepsy without cataplexy is called type two narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a persistent condition with no cure. However, medications and lifestyle changes can help you manage symptoms. Support from others—family, friends, employers, teachers—can help you cope with addiction. If you have narcolepsy, you may have excessive daytime sleepiness and may have uncontrollable episodes of daytime sleepiness. These sudden sleep “attacks” can occur during any type of activity and at any time of day.
Types of Uncontrollable Sleepiness (Narcolepsy)
There are two types of drugs:
- Type 1 narcolepsy (formerly called narcolepsy with cataplexy). People with type 1 narcolepsy have cataplexy and/or low levels of a chemical called hypocretin in the brain in addition to excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Type 2 narcolepsy (formerly called narcolepsy without cataplexy). People with type 2 narcolepsy have excessive daytime sleepiness but do not have cataplexy and have normal hypocretin levels.
Diagnosis
There are hurdles in diagnosing narcolepsy because it is not as obvious as a broken arm. You may not realize you sleep during the day, and friends and family may overlook it. It is important to see a specialist who can perform a thorough test and rule out the medical causes of your sleep problems. An overnight sleep study can rule out obstructive sleep apnea as well as make sure you got enough to sleep the night before. Regular causes of excessive daytime sleepiness, such as inconsistent sleep-wake cycles, are more common than narcolepsy, so it’s important to consider sleep behaviors that may be the culprit.”During a sleep study, the patient wears a watch that measures sleep and wake patterns,” Kirshner says.
If you fall into REM sleep within 20 minutes (faster than the normal time frame of 90-120 minutes), this may indicate addiction. In some situations, it is possible to perform a spinal tap to check the level of hypocretin in the cerebrospinal fluid, which can indicate type 1 if the level is low or absent. According to Berkowski, type 2 is more difficult to diagnose. Many doctors may misdiagnose patients with type 2 when there is a different condition causing sleepiness. The diagnosis is made when a person has unexplained daytime sleepiness, is free of cataplexy, and has test results consistent with type 1 patients. If you regularly get enough sleep and then fall asleep too much or fall asleep too quickly during the test, the diagnosis may be idiopathic hypersomnia.
Causes
Scientists have discovered that people with narcolepsy lack a neurotransmitter (chemical signal) in the brain called hypocretin. Hypocretin is important for regulating the sleep/wake cycle, including the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep state. Hypocretin deficiency causes excessive sleepiness, and features of REM sleep (also known as “dreaming”) are present during wakefulness.
Other possible factors that scientists believe play a role in addiction include:
- An autoimmune disorder. A person’s immune system attacks the brain cells that produce hypocretin, resulting in a deficiency of this chemical.
- Family history. Some people affected with narcolepsy have close relatives with similar symptoms.
- Brain injury or tumor. In a small number of patients, the part of the brain that controls REM sleep and wakefulness can be injured by trauma, tumors, or disease.
- Infections.
- Environmental toxins, including pesticides, heavy metals, and secondhand smoke.
Symptoms of Uncontrollable Sleepiness (Narcolepsy)
Narcolepsy symptoms can have noticeable effects both day and night. The most common symptoms include:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS): EDS is the primary symptom of narcolepsy, which affects all people with the disorder. EDS involves a desire to sleep that can feel unbearable, and it often occurs in monotonous situations. Severe drowsiness often leads to poor concentration. Narcolepsy can cause “sleep attacks, “that involve falling asleep without warning. After a short nap, people with narcolepsy usually feel temporarily refreshed.
- Automatic Behaviors: Trying to avoid sleep can trigger automatic behaviors that occur when a person is unconscious. For example, a student in the class may continue to write but is actually just scratching out lines or scribbling on the page.
- Nighttime sleep disturbances: Sleep disturbances are common in addicts who may wake up several times during the night. Other disturbing sleep problems such as excessive physical activity and insomnia are also more common in narcotics.
- Sleep paralysis: People with narcolepsy are more likely to have sleep paralysis, which is the feeling of being unable to move while falling asleep or waking up.
- Sleep-related hallucinations: Vivid imagery may occur while sleeping (hypnagogic hallucinations) or while awake (hypnopompic hallucinations). This can be accompanied by sleep paralysis, which can be particularly distressing or frightening.
- Cataplexy: A sudden loss of muscle control. It only occurs in people with NT one and not in people with NT two. An episode of cataplexy often occurs in response to positive emotions such as laughter or happiness. Cataplexy usually affects both sides of the body and lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes. Some people with NT1 have cataplexy episodes only a few times a year, while others may have a dozen or more episodes a day.
Treatment
There is currently no cure for narcolepsy, but making changes to improve your sleep habits and taking medication can help reduce the condition’s impact on your daily life. Taking frequent, short naps at regular intervals throughout the day is one of the best ways to combat excessive daytime sleepiness. This can be difficult when you’re at work or school, but a GP or sleep specialist may be able to work out a schedule that will help you get into a napping routine. Sticking to a bedtime routine can also help, so you should go to bed at the same time every night whenever possible. These medications are usually taken daily as tablets, capsules, or drinkable solutions.