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People usually know when they want to fall asleep. People usually do not fall asleep at inappropriate times and if they should do this, they may be dealing with Narcolepsy, a rare sleep disorder that... |
People usually know when they want to fall asleep. People usually do not fall asleep at inappropriate times and if they should do this, they may be dealing with Narcolepsy, a rare sleep disorder that causes individuals to fall asleep when they do not want to. The cause of this rare sleep disorder is neurological in nature.
Our brain normally sends signals to our body that are sleep inducing, when an individual has this disorder, the brain sends the sleep inducing signals at inappropriate times. The inappropriate times may be while the person is watching TV, or when the person is reading, talking, eating or even driving a motor vehicle. It is at times such as when operating a motor vehicle that the disorder can be dangerous to the individuals and to others.
Unfortunately this overwhelming urge to sleep that is transmitted by the brain can occur at any time of the day during any activity.
The disorder is usually noticed more by a family member, friend or co-worker than by the individual who has the disorder. It is these other individuals who may encourage the one suffering to go to see a doctor.
There are five main symptoms for the disorder that include excessive daytime sleepiness, fragmented sleep, and insomnia, sleep paralysis, cataplexy and also hypnagogic hallucinations. Individuals with Narcolepsy may experience one or more of the symptoms but not necessarily all of them. Typically excessive daytime sleepiness is the very first symptom to be noticed. The urge to sleep is so strong that those suffering from the disorder cannot fight it off and must succumb to it. These “sleep attacks” can occur as often as several times a day and may last from five to ten minutes.
Individuals with narcolepsy will often report having a great deal of difficulty falling asleep at night. They tend to then, wake up often and not receive enough REM sleep pattern.
Sleep paralysis may occur with this disorder and is when the individual cannot move or talk just prior to falling asleep or just prior to waking up.
Cataplexy is the loss of muscle function while awake and is usually very short in duration. The cause of cataplexy is to be found in the fact that REM is not functioning properly. It is thought that these episodes can be brought on by strong emotion such as anger. The individual may experience knee buckling, necks and jaws that may become weak or the individual may even fall to the ground. The individual will be aware of what is happening even though they appear to be sleeping.
One frightening aspect of narcolepsy is the symptom known as hypnagogic hallucination. This is when the individual may experience vivid and often frightening images, physical sensations or sounds. These are actually hallucination-like snippets of dreams that the person is experiencing just as they drift off to sleep or just as they are waking up. It may be very difficult for the individual to distinguish between reality and this type of dream. These hallucinations can be very frightening and are often occurring at the same time that they experience sleep paralysis. So, not only are they being frightened but they cannot talk or move while experiencing these frightening dreams.
Sometimes individuals may experience blurred vision, migraine headaches, and concentration difficulty or memory loss.
Apostate of automatic behavior can often occur to individuals suffering from narcolepsy. This is when the individual will do some task and be unaware that they are doing it. They often do the task incorrectly such as placing a hairbrush in the refrigerator.
After being diagnosed the individual with narcolepsy can be treated with various drugs. If treatment is not received the individual will suffer a life that can be easily destroyed by the disorder.