Narcolepsy Sleep Disorder: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

People usually joke about someone who has a tendency to doze off no matter what time it is or the place where the individual is. Little do we realize that the person could be a victim of a health condition called narcolepsy sleep disorder affecting close to 200,000 people in the US. Unfortunately not many of us know much about what the disorder is all about or what could be the causes, symptoms or even its treatment modalities.

First of all, narcolepsy sleep disorder is a serious health condition having the potential to severely jeopardize both professional and personal life of the patient. The overpowering need to sleep is powerful enough to put the victim to sleep during meals, phone calls or even while in the bath tub.

What is narcolepsy sleep disorder all about?

Affecting close to 3 million people worldwide, narcolepsy is a type of sleep disorder the onset of which is due to neurological dysfunction. It is not linked to any mental disorder. The typical and perhaps the strongest characteristic of this disorder is excessive daytime sleepiness coupled with a tendency to doze off at the most inappropriate times and places.

Narcolepsy symptoms: how do you know you have it?

Four types of narcolepsy symptoms, known as the tetrad of narcolepsy, are common. An individual may or may not display all the four, but depending on the severity of the condition, at least two of the symptoms of narcolepsy are invariably experienced.
1. Excessive daytime sleepiness is perhaps the most common symptom of narcolepsy sleep disorder. This is coupled with the habit of going off to sleep without any trigger or notice, irrespective of the kind of activity the patient may be engaged in at that point in time.
2. Cataplexy is the name given to sudden weakness of muscles. This can mean sudden weakening of the knees, dropping of jaw, blurred vision, etc. A typical cataplexy attack lasts for few seconds to a few minutes. During this time, the patient is incapable of holding any object in his or her hands.
3. Hallucinations are dreams or nightmares while going to sleep or on waking up.
4. Sleep paralysis is one of the symptoms of narcolepsy that disables the patient to talk or move on waking up.

Narcolepsy sleep disorder: reasons for its onset
1. Hypocretin deficiency in the brain. This is a chemical that is responsible for monitoring several important activities in the brain including appetite control, management of sleep-wake cycles, etc.
2. Genetic factors.
3. Sleep cycle interruption due to neurological malfunctioning.

Narcolepsy treatments: options

Narcolepsy treatments differ from one patient to the other, depending on the seriousness of the condition. It is a difficult condition to treat with the medications taking a long time to provide relief. Even the dosage requires regular fine-tuning.

Aims of narcolepsy drugs include: increase wakefulness, reduce daytime sleepiness, putting sleep-wake cycles back on track and improve other disabling narcolepsy symptoms. Some of the popularly prescribed medications are: methylphenidate, racemic – amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, and methamphetamine, or modafinil and armodafinil. Other narcolepsy drugs are codeine, selegiline and atomoxetine.

Over and above medication, treatments also involve self-help initiatives and lifestyle modifications. These include planned daytime naps, quitting alcohol and other stimulants, physical exercise and weight loss, changing profession to suit individual patterns of sleep-wake cycles, etc.

Learn all there is about thecauses of narcolepsy, its symptoms, and cures. Visit Marc MacDonald’s site where you can get important facts about Narcolepsy sleep disorder.