gasilmeme.blogg.se

For example, you may have difficulty staying awake during social gatherings, or you may lose muscle control when laughing. Because of excessive sleepiness and cataplexy, your social life may be affected.People with narcolepsy also often have depression and anxiety, but it’s not clear whether these are symptoms of narcolepsy or due to its symptoms affecting their quality of life.The complications associated with narcolepsy include: In rare instances, narcolepsy can occur after severe trauma to areas of the brain that regulate wakefulness and REM sleep. However, narcolepsy is commonly underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. There are two peak periods of diagnosis for narcolepsy: around age 15 and around 36. But the percentage of cases that run in families is small. If you have a first degree family member (like a parent or sibling) with narcolepsy, you could be 40 times more likely to have the condition. Some of the risk factors for narcolepsy may include the following:

Other factors, such as stress, brain trauma, exposure to toxins, and infection, may also play a role. It’s believed that this hereditary deficiency, along with an immune system that attacks healthy cells (i.e an autoimmune issue), contributes to narcolepsy. A gene mutation is associated with low levels of hypocretin. Scientists think many factors may cause low hypocretin levels.

One of the functions of hypocretin is regulating your sleep-wake cycles. However, most people with type 1 (narcolepsy with cataplexy) have a decreased amount of a brain protein called hypocretin. The exact cause of narcolepsy is unknown. Narcolepsy can also be associated with other sleep conditions, such as: Automatic behaviorsĪfter falling asleep during an activity like eating or driving, a person with narcolepsy may continue doing that activity for a few seconds or minutes without consciously realizing they’re doing it. Fragmented sleepĪlthough people with narcolepsy are excessively sleepy during the daytime, they may have difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep at night. People with narcolepsy may frequently have vivid dreams that may occur when falling asleep or waking up. It doesn’t affect eye movements or the ability to breathe, though. Sleep paralysis mimics the paralysis seen during REM sleep. Episodes last only a few seconds or minutes. Sleep paralysis is an inability to move or speak while falling asleep, sleeping, or waking. REM sleep can happen at any time of day for people with narcolepsy, often within about 15 minutes after falling asleep. It usually starts about 90 minutes after you fall asleep. REM sleep is the sleep stage when you have vivid dreams with loss of muscle tone. Poorly regulated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep Sometimes cataplexy may occur later in the disease course, or may go undetected due to medications that suppress it, such as certain antidepressants. It can happen several times a day to once a year. How often it occurs varies from person to person. Laughing and intense emotions, such as excitement and fear, can trigger cataplexy. It can range from drooping eyelids (referred to as partial cataplexy) to total body collapse. CataplexyĬataplexy is a sudden, temporary loss of muscle tone. EDS makes it difficult to function properly during the day. Significant daytime sleepinessĪlmost everyone with narcolepsy has excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), in which you suddenly experience an overwhelming urge to sleep. How often and how intensely narcolepsy symptoms occur can vary. Treatments are available to help manage the condition. Narcolepsy isn’t a deadly disease by itself, but episodes can lead to accidents, injuries, or life-threatening situations.Īdditionally, people with narcolepsy may have difficulty maintaining jobs, doing well in school, and have problems maintaining relationships due to episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness. When cataplexy is absent, it’s called narcolepsy type 2. This can be mistaken for seizure activity, especially in children.

In many cases, it also causes unexpected and temporary loss of muscle control, known as cataplexy. Narcolepsy causes significant daytime drowsiness and “sleep attacks,” or overwhelming urges to fall asleep, and poor fragmented sleep at night. It typically starts in the mid-teenage years. The symptoms of narcolepsy usually begin between the ages of 7 and 25, although the condition is often not recognized right away and often misdiagnosed. Experts estimate it affects about 1 in 2,000 people. It causes abnormal sleep that can affect a person’s quality of life. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological condition that affects the nervous system.