Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorders and is also considered one of the most misunderstood. It has the ability to impair you to the point of being considered physically disabled. Narcolepsy is considered a neurological disorder and is marked by erratic and inexplicable bouts of drowsiness that result in short outbreaks of uncontrollable sleep. These episodes, called sleep attacks, can occur any time during the day without warning.
Narcolepsy has been fodder for satire in the media as of late. The condition is seen as comical and even ridiculous as sufferers are depicted falling asleep while driving or snoring loudly standing in line. These misrepresentations in popular culture have led some narcoleptics to become secretive and even ashamed of their condition. This is a dangerous attitude, as left unchecked, the disorder can become more pronounced and the attacks more frequent.
Sleep is a recuperative stage of the human body. For you to receive the full benefits of sleep the body requires at minimum 90 minutes to reach the deeper stages of sleep. Deep sleep is known as REM sleep. If you have narcolepsy, the REM stage can happen immediately without notice. This means that that you can fall into dream states at any moment during your waking hours. When you are experiencing an episode you enter muscle paralysis and become unable to move, a condition that is normally experienced during the REM sleep stage. A sleep attack renders you immediately unconscious and could put you in harm’s way. This can also endanger others. Imagine if you are driving a car or working on heavy machinery with a coworker when a sleep attack happens.
At the moment, medical science has not uncovered the key components that cause narcolepsy. Advancements have been made in this field of study as researchers examine specific gene sets that are considered the impetus for narcolepsy. These genes are said to supply a chemical called hypocretin. This chemical is sent to your brain and is thought to regulate waking and sleeping patterns. If you are deficient in hypocretin this could possibly be a key factor in finding a cure for your narcolepsy. There are other factors involved in the disorder but the research looks promising.
If you are wondering if you have narcolepsy, there are four primary indicators to look out for. First is extreme daytime drowsiness. This would go well beyond a simple feeling of tiredness, and it causes sudden sleep spells during waking hours. Second is the loss of muscle tone or cataplexy, which causes your body to go limp much as it would during deep REM stage sleep. Hallucination is also an indicator as your brain begins to enter the sleep phase. Sleep paralysis is the final indicator and the most concerning. Although not life-threatening, sleep paralysis can cause loss of control, which can result in serious injury.
If you are afflicted with narcolepsy you may experience one or more of these symptoms as well as a general loss of vitality. Do you find it hard to concentrate? Are you having trouble remembering things, and become easily agitated? These are all secondary signs of narcolepsy. Slurred speech can also be a sign of this sleep disorder although not as common as the other indicators. If you are suffering with any of the above symptoms, then the best course of action would be to seek medical attention. Our sleep disorder specialists are equipped and trained to deal with all sleep disorders including narcolepsy. Once you have made an appointment you will take an inventory of your symptoms and meet with the doctor. The doctor at the Sleep Center in Las Colinas will go over your history and ask you more questions to help him or her make an accurate diagnosis.
