Narcolepsy is characterized by uncontrollable excessive daytime sleepiness, paroxysmal
Mild cases of narcolepsy can be managed with regular naps, while severe cases need medication.
Narcolepsy can usually be diagnosed by observing how you sleep and ruling out other conditions. See a GP if you think you have narcolepsy. Before your appointment, you may find it useful to record your symptoms in a diary or complete an Epworth sleepiness questionnaire.
Over half of people who have narcolepsy also have an anxiety disorder like panic attacks or social anxiety. You could also become anxious as a response to the hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there) or cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness) that narcolepsy can cause.
Stimulants. Drugs that stimulate the central nervous system are the primary treatment to help people with narcolepsy stay awake during the day. Your health care provider may recommend modafinil (Provigil) or armodafinil (Nuvigil). These medicines aren't as habit-forming as older stimulants.
Things that have been suggested as possible triggers of narcolepsy include: hormonal changes, which can occur during puberty or the menopause. major psychological stress. an infection, such as swine flu, or the medicine used to vaccinate against it (Pandemrix)
People with narcolepsy, known as narcoleptics, typically feel very sleepy during the day and may involuntarily fall asleep during normal activities. The borderline between being awake and asleep can become distorted so characteristics of sleep may occur while an individual is awake.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders, such as panic attacks and social phobias, have been reported in as many as 53% of patients with narcolepsy [6]. The time course of development for specific anxiety disorders has been suggested to vary by type.
In addition to the above, Stanford Sleep Specialists will commonly performed a blood genetic test for narcolepsy if they suspect hypocretin deficiency called Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) DQB1*06:02 typing.
Imaging studies such as MRI are useful for excluding rare causes of symptomatic narcolepsy. Structural abnormalities of the brain stem and diencephalon may present as idiopathic narcolepsy. In patients with secondary narcolepsy, MRI of the brain may show various abnormalities that correspond to the underlying cause.
You need to be medically able to drive, which includes being able to stay awake. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the government agency that oversees highway safety, says that people with narcolepsy should only drive if they're on a treatment that helps them stay awake.
A Sleep Physician
Thorpy, the director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY, says that he recommends that narcolepsy patients be in bed for a minimum of eight hours each night, have a regular wake-up time, and hold these constant for two weeks.
Both narcolepsy and insomnia can make you feel sleepy during the day. But with narcolepsy, you might fall asleep while driving or doing another activity. Or your body could suddenly go limp when you laugh or cry. If you don't sleep well and you feel tired during the day, talk to your doctor.
Narcolepsy, a relatively rare and poorly understood neurological condition, can be hard to diagnose. Julea Steiner was misdiagnosed for years before a sleep study helped doctors recognize her symptoms—excessive daytime sleepiness, vivid dreams, hallucinations, and mild cataplexy—as narcolepsy.
However, narcolepsy can be associated also with introversion, sorrowfulness, feelings of inferiority, impaired affectivity modulation, emotional lability, irritability, aggressiveness, and poor attention, that have been pooled by some authors under a definition of “narcoleptic personality.” Some aspects of this “ ...
Not getting enough sleep -- sometimes by choice -- is the most common cause of excessive sleepiness. Working at night and sleeping during the day is another. Other causes include drug, alcohol, or cigarette use, lack of physical activity, obesity, and the use of certain medications.
Narcolepsy symptoms usually first occur between age 15 and 30 years. Below are the most common symptoms. You may feel a strong urge to sleep, often followed by a period of sleep.
- Narcolepsy can be associated also with psychiatric symptoms (“narcoleptic personality”) of which some aspects (particularly introversion, impaired affectivity modulation, irritability, and poor attention) partially overlap with the clinical features of autism spectrum disorder, considering also those that are not ...
Narcolepsy symptoms are often called a tetrad, meaning that there are four core symptoms of this condition: excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and cataplexy. Although everyone with narcolepsy experiences excessive daytime sleepiness, the other symptoms are less common.
When left untreated, narcolepsy can be socially disabling and isolating. It often leads to the onset of depression. Type 2 diabetes mellitus may occur more often in people with narcolepsy. Making lifestyle changes can help manage the symptoms.
Since people with narcolepsy are often misdiagnosed with other conditions, such as psychiatric disorders or emotional problems, it can take years for someone to get the proper diagnosis.
Many cases of narcolepsy are thought to be caused by a lack of a brain chemical called hypocretin (also known as orexin), which regulates sleep. The deficiency is thought to be the result of the immune system mistakenly attacking parts of the brain that produce hypocretin.