05/24/2019
What is Narcolepsy ?
It is a neurological disease affecting the ability to control sleep and wakefulness. Individuals affected by the disorder exhibit habits of daytime sleepiness and uncontrollable episodes of sleep during daytime which can occur at any time during the day. During sleep there are three stages namely early stage of sleep, followed by deeper sleep stage and lastly rapid eye movement sleep (REM). The disease is characterized by REM which occurs immediately and periodically during waking hours and usually such periods the individuals experience dreams and muscle paralysis. Narcolepsy affects people from the age of 15 years and above and may remain undiagnosed and untreated.
Causes:
There is no specific cause of the disease however scientists argue that some genes are associated with the disorder which produces chemicals in the brain that signal sleep and awake cycles. Also, a deficiency in hypocretin chemical in the brain and abnormalities in the brain parts that regulate REM may contribute to the development of this condition.
Symptoms:
i. Excessive daytime sleeping (EDS) which interferes with the normal day to day activities. These individuals experience mental cloudiness, tiredness with no concentration, exhaustion, mental lapse and depressive disorders.
ii. Cataplexy involving sudden muscle tone loss causing the individuals to feel weak and losing voluntary muscle control. The apparent signs include slurred speech and total body collapse triggered by strong emotion stimuli like, surprise, laughter or anger.
iii. Hallucinations during and after sleep usually frightening experiences.
iv. Experiencing disrupted patterns of sleep or completely lack of sleep (Insomnia)
v. Sleep paralysis where a person has inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up lasting for a short period of time which the person may fully recover from.
vi. Rapid eye movement behavior disorder characterized by excessive motor activity during the last stage of sleep (REM). http://www.ModafinilBuy.org