Narcolepsy - Symptoms (2024)

FAQs

Narcolepsy - Symptoms? ›

Many cases of narcolepsy are thought to be caused by a lack of a brain chemical called hypocretin (also known as orexin), which regulates sleep. The deficiency is thought to be the result of the immune system mistakenly attacking parts of the brain that produce hypocretin.

Many cases of narcolepsy are thought to be caused by a lack of a brain chemical called hypocretin (also known as orexin), which regulates sleep. The deficiency is thought to be the result of the immune system mistakenly attacking parts of the brain that produce hypocretin.

Excessive daytime sleepiness is usually the first sign of narcolepsy. It can have a significant impact on everyday life. Feeling drowsy throughout the day and struggling to stay awake makes it difficult to concentrate at work or school. People with narcolepsy may be misjudged as being lazy or rude.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to control sleep-wake cycles. People with narcolepsy may feel rested after waking, but then feel very sleepy throughout much of the day.

There's currently no cure for narcolepsy, but making changes to improve your sleeping habits and taking medicine can help minimise the impact the condition has on your daily life. Taking frequent, brief naps evenly spaced throughout the day is one of the best ways to manage excessive daytime drowsiness.

Narcolepsy typically begins between ages 10 and 30. Family history. Your risk of narcolepsy is 20 to 40 times higher if you have a close family member who has it.

You shouldn't try to self-diagnose and self-treat narcolepsy. That's because the symptoms of this condition happen commonly with other conditions like sleep apnea or epilepsy, which are also dangerous.

Multiple sleep latency test

You'll be asked to take several naps throughout the day, and a specialist will analyse how quickly and easily you fall asleep. If you have narcolepsy, you'll usually fall asleep easily and enter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep very quickly.

Stimulants. Drugs that stimulate the central nervous system are the primary treatment to help people with narcolepsy stay awake during the day. Your health care provider may recommend modafinil (Provigil) or armodafinil (Nuvigil). These medicines aren't as habit-forming as older stimulants.

Is narcolepsy a disability? ›

Narcolepsy is a recognized disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under this law, your employer must make reasonable accommodations, like letting you adjust your schedule or take brief rest breaks, to deal with your narcolepsy symptoms.

A problem with the immune system causes it to attack the cells that produce hypocretin. The lack of this chemical is what leads to sleep attacks. A drop in hypocretin is part of narcolepsy with cataplexy, where strong emotions, especially laughter or surprise, trigger a sudden loss of muscle tone.

The authors found a higher recurrence of anxiety/depression, withdrawn attitude, social, thinking, and attention problems, somatic complaints, and aggressive behaviors in the patients with narcolepsy type 1 compared to controls, suggesting a relationship with sleepiness.

Some people with narcolepsy find coffee or other caffeinated beverages helpful to staying awake. For others, coffee is ineffective, or, in combination with stimulant medications, it can cause jitteriness, diarrhea, anxiety, or a racing heart.

Glucose = Carbohydrates & Sugar

To be crystal clear, all the bread, pasta, cereal, potatoes, rice, fruit, dessert, candy, and sodas we consume will raise your blood glucose levels and turn your orexin OFF.

You need to be medically able to drive, which includes being able to stay awake. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the government agency that oversees highway safety, says that people with narcolepsy should only drive if they're on a treatment that helps them stay awake.

Narcolepsy is treatable but not curable. Treatments usually start with medications, but changes to your daily routine and lifestyle can also help. In general, narcolepsy responds well to treatment, which helps limit the disruptions that symptoms can cause.

Recent studies have found that hypocretin is linked to short- and long-term stress. Long-term stress may disrupt the function of hypocretin in the brain, possibly triggering narcolepsy.

There is increasing evidence that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune disorders are caused when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue or cells. In narcolepsy, the immune system destroys certain brain cells that produce a peptide called hypocretin.

People can be awakened as readily as from normal sleep. They typically feel refreshed when they wake up even when the sleep episode lasts a few minutes. However, they may fall asleep again in a few minutes.