University Services
Sleep Diagnostic and Treatment Centers
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a long-lasting neurological disorder that involves the body’s central nervous system, which carries messages from your brain to other parts of your body. For people with narcolepsy, the messages about when to sleep and when to be awake sometimes don’t get to the brain or get to the brain at the wrong time.
This is why people who have narcolepsy, not managed by medications, may fall asleep while eating dinner or engaged in social activities, or at times when he or she wants to be awake. Recent discoveries indicate that people with narcolepsy lack a chemical in the brain called hypocretin, which normally stimulates arousal and helps regulate sleep.
Symptoms
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness is usually the first symptom to appear and also the most troubling. It is an overwhelming and recurring need to sleep at times when you want to be awake. Excessive daytime sleepiness may cause the person with narcolepsy to fall asleep while engaged in conversation, driving, eating dinner, or at other inappropriate times. The sleepiness occurs in spite of having a full night’s sleep and may persist throughout the day.
Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone, usually triggered by emotional stimuli such as laughter, surprise, or anger. The cataplexy attack, which can last from several seconds to several minutes, can involve all muscles and result in collapse or it can affect only certain muscle groups and result in slurred speech, buckling of the knees, or weakness in the arms. Consciousness is maintained throughout the episode but the patient is usually unable to speak.
Hypnogogic Hallucinations happen during transition from wakefulness to sleep. The patient has bizarre, often frightening dream-like experiences that incorporate his or her real environment.
Sleep Paralysis is a temporary inability to move during sleep-wake transitions. Sleep paralysis may last for a few seconds to several minutes and may accompany hypnagogic hallucinations.
Disturbed Nocturnal Sleep: waking up repeatedly throughout the night.
Automatic Behavior: routine or boring tasks performed without full awareness or later memory of them.
Treatments
There is currently no widely accepted cure for narcolepsy but symptoms can be alleviated to the point of near-normal functioning in many patients. Treatment for narcolepsy includes the use of medication as well as behavioral therapy.
Medical treatment is usually the first line of defense. The goal in using medications should be to approach normal alertness while minimizing side effects and disruptions to daily activities.
Behavioral therapies may help control symptoms, including taking three or more scheduled naps throughout the day. Counseling is very important for people with narcolepsy. The particular symptoms of this disorder are not widely understood by the general public and this may cause patients to feel uncomfortable, alienated, or depressed. The disease can also be quite frightening and the fear of falling asleep inappropriately often significantly alters life for people with narcolepsy.
Learn more about narcolepsy by clicking here.