Narcolepsy is a neurological sleeping disorder that disrupts the body’s central nervous system, which causes a person to sleep at moments in time that should be spent awake. As with other sleep disorders, narcolepsy can affect the lives of not only the person who has it, but the people around them, causing life to be hard to manage. Probably the best known sleeping disorder, narcolepsy has other symptoms that could be considered disorders all by themselves.
Narcolepsy Sleep Disorder Symptoms
The symptoms of narcolepsy and sleep disorder illnesses can usually be defined by one underlying symptom, which is called E.D.S. or excessive daytime sleepiness. A person with E.D.S. will feel tired all day, with short episodes of dozing off. The bad thing about this is that they are not in control of when they doze off. It happens suddenly and without warning. E.D.S. is the most commonly found symptom in patients with narcolepsy.
Another symptomatic disorder, narcolepsy sleep paralysis, is not only a symptom of this disease, but a sleeping disorder all its own. Sleep paralysis can happen in two ways, when a person is falling asleep or waking up. If this happens while falling asleep, it is referred to as hypnogogic and if waking up it is referred to as hypnopompic. The brain is somehow disconnected from the body, leaving the person aware of things, but unable to react to them. Hallucinations often occur in this sleeping disorder and narcolepsy.
Next is the more dangerous symptom known as cataplexy. Excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy are found equally in most patients suffering from narcolepsy. Cataplexy is when a person has a sudden attack that leaves them with a lack of muscle tone, causing a daytime sleep episode, and usually results in falling or injury. Muscle tone does, however, return after a short while.
The last symptom of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders is hallucinations. Hallucinations happen when the brain waves are interrupted causing a person to hear and see things that are of a surreal nature. Lack of nighttime sleep due to insomnia, frequent daytime sleep attacks, and muscle weakness caused by cataplexy are likely factors that cause hallucinations.
Sleep apnea is another sleeping disorder narcolepsy sleeping disorders are very closely related to. The main difference between the two is the trigger causes, although they are commonly confused or misdiagnosed due to the symptoms. Sleep apnea is when a person’s breathing functions stop for a moment. This can happen is a few different ways. The tongue or other soft tissue can block the back of the throat, causing obstructive sleep apnea. Sometimes the brain will stop sending messages to a person’s breathing muscle which cause breathing to cease until the person wakes up. This is called central sleep apnea. Mixed sleep apnea is when both occur, usually in varying periods of time. Last, there is mild sleep apnea, in which a person experiences shallow breathing, or hypopnea.
Insomnia is when a person can’t fall asleep, regardless of how tired he or she is. There will be times when a deep sleepiness is there, but sleep just does not come. Other times, a person will wake up and be unable to go back to sleep. Some other symptoms of insomnia are irritability, E.D.S., and the inability to complete daily tasks.
Disorder Sleep Narcolepsy Facts
There are a wide variety of at home therapy solutions, as well as medications to deal with sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Most often a combination of these is recommended for the maximum effectiveness. The following is a fact list of personal therapies or lifestyle changes used in the treatment of narcolepsy.
- Follow a rigid bedtime schedule to help control episodes of E.D.S.
- Schedule daytime naps to avoid sudden, unsuspected sleep episodes.
- Take medications as directed.
- Record any incidents and report them to the physician.
- Tell everyone you know about your condition.
- Wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace to let others know of your condition.
- Eat a good, well balanced meal, instead of snacking on junk food.
- Avoid nicotine, alcohol, and illegal drugs.
- Avoid high fat diets and caffeine.
- Avoid late shift work.
The medications used to treat the symptoms of narcolepsy exist in three forms.
- Sodium Oxybate
Stimulants are used to stimulate the central nervous system, which promotes a state of alertness and allows a person with narcolepsy to stay awake. Stimulants are commonly prescribed to treat cataplexy and E.D.S., but should be avoided by those with a history of mental illness. The two most commonly prescribed stimulants are Provigil and Nuvigil.
Sodium oxybate is a different kind of drug than the others used to treat narcolepsy. It is a liquid that must be taken in several small doses. It has been called “the date rape drug” due to the deep sleep that occurs after it is taken. Sodium oxybate is used to treat cases involving cataplexy. The most common form of sodium oxybate is Xyrem.
Antidepressants are used to treat sleep paralysis and hallucinations. Antidepressants were once thought to have been a good treatment for cataplexy, but this has never been scientifically proven. Common forms of the antidepressants used to treat narcolepsy are Fluoxetine (Prozac) and Sertraline (Zoloft).
Tricyclic antidepressants are an older form of medications that were said to work wonders on patients with cataplexy. The side effects were so strong in most patients that these are no longer “commonly” prescribed.
When used properly as prescribed these medications, along with the therapeutic lifestyle changes can greatly improve the life of people living with narcolepsy. As a general rule of thumb, when taking these medications, patients should expect a two to three week start period in which the medications do not fully show their potential of healing. Trial and error is the key to any successful therapy when dealing with any illness, as what works for one person may not work for another.