How Do I Know If I Suffer From Narcolepsy?: 5 Symptoms Of The ‘falling Asleep Disease’
Do you suffer from uncontrollable sleep? What is narcolepsy and why is it known as the ‘falling asleep disease’? Discover the causes and treatment of narcolepsy.
The narcolepsy also popularly known as the ‘illness in which you fall asleep‘, is characterized by a sudden and uncontrollable dream that affects those who suffer from it. The essential characteristic of narcolepsy is recurrent daytime naps or sleep lapses. But how can this disorder be treated?
The narcolepsy It is a sleep disorder that means that people who suffer from it have chronic and excessive daytime sleepiness. In fact, it is a neurological condition that affects our brain’s ability to manage the sleep-wake cycle.
People with this sudden dream They often have great difficulty staying awake for long periods, regardless of the time of day or what they are doing. It is for this reason that this condition can have a great impact on the person who suffers from it, since it prevents them from carrying out daily activities correctly.
How do I know if I suffer from narcolepsy? Symptoms of narcolepsy
According to psychologists and doctors, the most common symptoms of narcolepsy include the following.
Daytime sleepiness: Narcolepsy involves in all cases a daytime sleepiness excessive. Thus, a person who suffers from this sudden sleep may take several naps during the day and even end up falling asleep suddenly. These types of narcolepsy symptoms occur even though the person slept the night before.
Sleep paralysis: When a person suffers from sleep paralysis, you wake up without the ability to move any muscle in your body. This is a protective measure that our body has so that we do not move during REM sleep. In the case of a narcoleptic You may experience a lot of sleep paralysis because you go into REM sleep almost immediately.
Hallucinations: Experiencing a lot of sleep throughout the day can also cause people to end up suffering from hallucinations, which involve seeing, feeling and hearing events that are not really happening. Approximately 20-60% of subjects experience vivid hallucinations before falling asleep, falling asleep, or just after waking up (auditory, visual, or tactile illusions). These hallucinations are different from the dreamlike mental activity that appears at the beginning of sleep in normal sleepers. Nightmares are common in narcolepsy, as is the sensation of a vivid dream.
Sudden awakening: Normally, those who suffer from this ‘falling asleep illness ‘They often have trouble sleeping throughout the night.
Cataplexy or Cataplexy: They are brief episodes of sudden, bilateral loss of muscle tone. They last minutes or even seconds and are triggered by emotions, typically laughter and jokes. The muscles that are affected may be those of the neck, jaw, arms, legs, or entire body, resulting in head swaying, jaw dropping, and even total falls. During cataplexy, subjects are awake and conscious. In the case of children, they can cause grimacing or jaw drop.
Automatic behaviors: When narcolepsy It is serious, automatic behaviors may appear and the individual may continue his activities in a semi-automatic manner, as if bloated, without memory or consciousness.
The narcolepsy It is a sleep disorder that ends up greatly limiting the lives of those who suffer from it. In fact, many people end up suffering from psychological problems due to experiencing this disorder. In these cases, consultation with a psychology professional is essential.
Causes of narcolepsy
Currently, there is not enough evidence to point to the exact causes of narcolepsy Despite this, there are studies that suggest that there are some factors that contribute to the development of this disease.
It seems quite proven that narcolepsy-cataplexy It is almost always the result of loss of hypothalamic hypocretin (orexin)-producing cells causing hypocretin deficiency. The cell loss is probably of autoimmune origin and approximately 99% of affected subjects carry HLA-DQB1.
A narcolepsy explanation lies in the loss of the specific neurotransmitter called hypocretin. This chemical substance plays a very relevant role in regulating our sleep/wake cycle as well as during the course of the REM sleep phase.
The exact reasons for the loss of hypocretin are not fully understood, but research believes this may be due to autoimmune problems. Due to a combination of genetic and environmental causes, the body’s immune system is activated to attack cells containing this chemical messenger.
In addition, there is also a possible influence of environmental factors. Throat infections due to group A strep, influenza virus or other winter infections are likely triggers of an autoimmune process that produces narcolepsy A few months later.
Head trauma and sudden changes in sleep-wake patterns (e.g., job changes, stress) may be additional triggers.
Types of narcolepsy
According to those who research this sleep disorder, there are different types of narcolepsy depending on the presence or absence of some specific symptoms.
Narcolepsy type 1: Formerly known as cataplexy. People who suffer from this type of narcolepsy feel very sleepy throughout the day, along with cataplexy.
Narcolepsy type 2: This was previously known as narcolepsy without cataplexy. They are those people who do not experience cataplexy in their narcolepsy.
There is no cure for narcolepsy since there is evidence that indicates that the loss of hypocretin is irreversible. However, there are some medical and psychological measures that can control what is known as the ‘falling asleep disease’.
Medicines: Normally the narcolepsy treatment includes a series of medications to treat hypocretin deficiency.
Therapy: The effects of narcolepsy and the sudden sleep that people experience due to it can end up causing some psychological effects. Therefore, part of the treatment must also be carried out with a professional psychologist. Sleep disorders are frequently accompanied by depression, anxiety and cognitive changes that must be taken into account in treatment planning and management. Furthermore, persistent sleep disturbances (both insomnia and oversleeping) are established risk factors for the later development of mental illness and substance use disorders. They may also represent the prodromal expression of an episode of mental illness, enabling early intervention to prevent or mitigate the entire episode.
Narcolepsy and death
Although people who experience narcolepsy They do not have a risk of death due to the disorder and its effects on the body, the reality is that sudden sleep can be dangerous on certain occasions. Despite this, together with medications and therapy, narcolepsy can be experienced in a controlled manner.
How can you live with narcolepsy?
People with narcolepsy should avoid jobs that could endanger themselves (eg, working with machinery) or others (eg, bus driver, pilot). Once narcolepsy is controlled through treatment, patients can usually drive, although they should not travel long distances alone. According to psychologists, different lifestyle changes can helps people with narcolepsy to better control all your symptoms. Some of the changes that can be made are the following.
People without treatment may also be at risk of social isolation. Social relationships may deteriorate, as these individuals make an effort to avoid cataplexy by controlling their emotions, avoiding laughter or joking. In this way, through the necessary medical and psychological care, people with this ‘falling asleep sickness ‘They can lead a normal life and enjoy it without suffering all the effects of narcolepsy.
