Did you know that underneath the innocent phrase "How I always want to sleep..." there could be a proven medical condition? And do any of us even suspect that this could be a diagnosis?
Narcolepsy
Daytime sleepiness, or narcolepsy, is defined as the inability to stay awake and alert during the major portion of waking time during the day. This in turn leads to unwanted lapses in sleepiness or sleep. The condition in question may occur occasionally in some people when they are overtired, but when it is chronic, it is a serious medical condition.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy have temporary urges to fall asleep. If the urge becomes overpowering, they will fall asleep for periods that last from a few seconds to a few minutes. In rare cases, some people may stay asleep for an hour or more.
Sleep predisposes an individual to develop serious problems at work, for example, and also in various other areas of social life. Furthermore, narcolepsy is potentially life-threatening due to accidents at home, at work or while driving or operating machinery. Houston Methodist specialists use a multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat narcolepsy.
Symptoms of narcolepsy
In addition to excessive daytime sleepiness, three other main symptoms often characterize narcolepsy:
- Cataplexy, which is sudden muscle weakness or sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone. In this condition, patients can neither move nor speak. Cataplexy can be triggered by laughter, fright, overexcitement.
- Vivid, often frightening hallucinations occurring at the onset of sleep or during waking
- Brief episodes of total paralysis (inability to move) at the beginning or end of sleep
Other symptoms that occur less frequently are: difficulty concentrating, restless sleep at night.
Causes of narcolepsy
The cause of narcolepsy remains unknown, but it is likely to involve multiple factors interacting to cause neurological dysfunction and sleep disturbances.
Diagnosing narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is usually not definitively diagnosed in most patients until 10 to 15 years after the first symptoms appear.
Treatment options
Although there is no cure for narcolepsy, there are treatment options, such as medications, lifestyle changes and other therapies that can relieve many of the symptoms associated with narcolepsy. Treatment for narcolepsy is based on the type of symptoms that are present and how severe they are.
Another thing that can help improve the condition is to avoid stressful situations, apply proper nutrition and exercise.
For more information, we at Medical Karaj are at your service.
Call us on the following numbers "Medical Karaj": 0879 977 401 or 0879 977 402.
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