![]() It is important to note that there may be many causes of narcolepsy and genetics may play a part as well. This deficiency is thought to be a result of the immune system attacking the part of the brain that produces the chemical and there is some data that points to the H1N1 virus (swine flu) as a catalyst to triggering the disorder. Hypocretin is responsible for helping regulate sleep, specifically REM, and wakefulness. While the exact cause of narcolepsy is unknown, the common factor among those with this sleep disorder is a low level of a chemical called hypocretin. A couple tools to help with this are the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Stop-BANG. Sleep History: Your doctor will ask you for a detailed history of your sleep. Sleep Journal: You will be asked to record your sleep for a couple weeks to determine how rested or tired you are and what times you go to bed and wake up throughout the night. Polysomnography: A test performed in the sleep lab or a home sleep study that measures your breathing and signals in your brain, heart, muscles and eyes during sleep. In addition, a physician will use the following to help determine a diagnosis of Narcolepsy. Your doctor may diagnose you with Narcolepsy based on the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness alone, but in some cases a formal sleep study is recommended or required. Many times symptoms will begin in childhood and adolescence but will not be properly diagnosed until much later. While Narcolepsy can affect any gender and age, it is most common in adolescents and above. They do not represent psychological problems. ![]() These narcolepsy hallucinations represent dream fragments that continue from sleep into wakefulness.Īll of these symptoms represent the actual intrusion of sleep components into wakefulness. They can be visual (seen) and sometimes auditory (heard). Hypnagogic hallucinations occur during the drowsy periods that intervene as you fall asleep and wake up. These episodes resolve spontaneously without side effects. Sleep paralysis is the sudden, unexpected inability to move during wakefulness that normally occurs in the period of time while falling asleep and waking up. Episodes are unexpected, often embarrassing and can create life-threatening situations. Narcolepsy with cataplexy episodes can be momentary or last as long as half an hour, after which there is complete recovery. Loss of muscle control can be as obvious as total body collapse or as subtle as buckling of the knees or sagging of the jaw and facial muscles. Uncontrollable sleep can be seen as laziness and negatively affect work performance and personal relationships.Ĭatalepsy is the sudden loss of voluntary muscle control caused by severe fatigue, stress, or a strong emotion like laughter, anger or fear. Microsleeps are brief intrusions of sleep into wakefulness which can make driving hazardous. There are several types of symptoms that may indicate you have narcolepsy:įalling asleep randomly and other forms of excessive daytime sleepiness occurs in the form of sudden irresistible sleep attacks, continual disabling drowsiness and microsleeps. Signs and Symptoms of Narcolepsy, A Disease In Which You Fall Asleep ![]() When hypocretin is deficient, components of rapid-eye movement sleep will suddenly occur during waking hours. It is due to the deficiency (or shortage) of a protein called hypocretin (hi-poe-kree-tin), which is important in controlling the timing, expression and occurrence of normal sleep. Narcolepsy is a disease of the central nervous system that causes excessive uncontrollable daytime sleepiness.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |