![]() Different individuals experience wide variations in the development, number, and severity of their symptoms. Later, after several months or even years, cataplexy or one or more of the other symptoms frequently develops. Most often the initial symptom to appear is excessive daytime sleepiness. The symptoms of narcolepsy are usually first noticed during the teenage or young adult years although it can strike at any age. Both sleep paralysis and hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations are also associated with the intrusion of REM sleep physiology into wakefulness.ĭisturbed nighttime sleep is manifested as tossing and turning in bed, leg jerking, nightmares, and frequent awakenings. Hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations (when falling asleep or waking up, respectively) are intense visual or auditory experiences at the beginning or end of a sleep period that are hard to distinguish from reality, and are sometimes terrifying. Sleep paralysis is the inability to move while going to sleep or waking up. People with narcolepsy may experience short 10-20 minutes of sleep from which they awaken feeling refreshed, but the intense feelings of sleepiness return within 1-2 hours. Sleep attacks are defined as short, irresistible episodes of sleep during the day. The cataplectic attack, which can last from several seconds to several minutes, can range from partial muscle weakness, often in the face or neck, to a complete loss of muscle control in the arms and legs. Frequently, people with narcolepsy fall asleep at inappropriate times, for example while eating or in the middle of a conversation.Ĭataplexy is the sudden loss of strength in voluntary muscles triggered by emotions such as laughter, excitement, or anger, and occurs when the normal bodily processes that usually occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep intrude into wakefulness. The excessive daytime sleepiness experienced by people with narcolepsy has been described as being like trying to stay awake after going 72 hours without sleep. People with narcolepsy are unable to resist falling asleep and do so regardless of the number of hours slept the previous night. ![]() The two primary symptoms of narcolepsy are excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. There is no evidence that narcolepsy is a mental disorder or has a psychological basis. Most people with this disorder also experience awakenings and restlessness during their usual nighttime sleeping hours. During usual waking hours, people experience periods when sleep involuntarily encroaches into wakefulness. This disorder is best characterized as an inability of the nervous system to maintain the boundaries between wakefulness and sleep. Although it is not rare, narcolepsy is often misdiagnosed, or diagnosed years after the symptoms first appear. Narcolepsy is a potentially disabling, lifelong neurological condition estimated to afflict about 1 in every 2000 people in the United States. WHAT ARE SOME BASIC FACTS ABOUT NARCOLEPSY?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |