Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent, and sometimes uncontrollable, desire for sleep. This can result in sudden lapses into sleep at any time, in any place. The result is that normal patterns and rhythms of sleeping become abnormal. For example, someone suffering from narcolepsy may end up sleeping several times during the day and then having trouble sleeping at night. If you think you may have Narcolepsy, here are five signs that can help you determine if you need to see a sleep specialist or not.
Sleep paralysis is the temporary inability to move or speak right after waking up or right before sleep. Naturally, these events can be very scary if you don't know why you suddenly can't move. Also, these attacks can last minutes. However, they aren't dangerous.
A sleep attack is a sudden onset of extreme sleepiness. Often they call for someone with Narcolepsy to go find a quiet place to rest for a few minutes, but they can be so extreme that one has a sudden onset of sleep anywhere and anytime (though this is rare).
Sleep deprivation is also common for people who have Narcolepsy because of irregular sleep patterns that lead to loss of quality sleep.
Cataplexy is an episode in which you suddenly lose muscle tone, causing weakness or limpness. This can be isolated to one body part, such as having a slack jaw, or it can happen to your entire body, causing you to collapse. Cataplexy happens in response to strong emotions experienced by narcoleptics.
Cataplexy is one reason why stigmas about narcolepsy are that people suddenly fall asleep in the middle of everyday activities, when in fact this is uncommon. Cataplexy might look more like falling or loss of balance, instead.
About half of Narcoleptics will also experience hallucinations before falling asleep (hypnagogic) or right after waking up (hypnapoptic). These take the form of dream-like visions or delusions. They may involve several sensations at the same time as opposed to just visual experiences. Essentially, this happens because REM sleep shows up when it isn’t supposed to.
If you have Narcolepsy, you might look for some of the hallmark symptoms listed above. Ask yourself these questions:
There is no doubt that Narcolepsy will impact your life, however, with a few accommodations these impacts can be minimal. Some things that might require aid or be off-limits for people with Narcolepsy include:
Currently, there is no cure for Narcolepsy, and management can involve a lot of medications, which unfortunately don’t always affect people in the same way. Managing Narcolepsy will require careful attention to many things people without Narcolepsy don’t have to be concerned about. For example:
Diagnosis require a sleep study. If this article strikes close to home and reminds you of your daily life, please contact us immediately by taking this online sleep test.