Have you ever fallen asleep and woke not remembering how you feel asleep or when?
This is a feeling that Narcoleptics feel most of the time. Just Imagine Being on a dinner date and you are having a great time with your date laughing and talking, three seconds later your face is in your onion soup! This is a very real possibility if you are suffering from Narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that is chronic. It affects the portion of the brain that helps regulate sleep. More commonly triggered by emotions such as sadness, frustration and even surprised. Even laughter can trigger a narcoleptic to fall out sleep.
Narcolepsy has often been often confused with depression and Epilepsy. There have been cases were Narcolepsy has been undiagnosed or mis-diagnosed because the most common and most time the only symptom a person may experience is excessive daytime sleepiness. Which daytime sleepiness can be an indicator of a lot of conditions.
The more common of Narcolepsy symptoms are Cataplexy (loss of muscle control) most often triggered by crying or laughter. Hallucinations ar...
THESIS STATEMENT: Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that has a specific medical definition, life-changing symptoms, and there are ways in how people treat it.
Millions of people suffer from the same tossing and turning every which way, getting their sheets all disarranged and their minds abundantly worse. Patients often report indications of insomnia while sitting in the family health clinic. Insomnia traits include hindrance, falling asleep, continuing to awaken, and rejuvenating before wanted. One may suffer from insomnia if one shows signs of an increased difficulty in attentiveness, decreased communal or scholastic skills, and a diminished mood or enthusiasm. Foldvary-Schaefer 111.
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness. This disorder causes a number of symptoms that will be discussed further in depth later on but they are, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. Scientists and researchers believe that the cause of narcolepsy is a genetic mutation. This disorder can cause severe disruption to a person's daily life and routine and can be a cause of harm to the person with the disorder as well as those around him/her. There have been case studies and animal research and testing to further understand this disorder its cause and possible cures or medication. Which as of 2014 there is medication to help those with the disorder but there is no cure. To better understand this disorder we have to go more in depth on the topics I have touched on and more in depth on the disorder in general. We will be investigating all the above mentioned topics and more.
Narcolepsy is a sleeping abnormality in which a person experiences sudden attacks of sleepiness during the day. Narcolepsy is an often-inherited neurological sleep disorder caused by the brains inability to regulate a stable sleep-wake cycle. (Turkington & Harris). People who suffer from this abnormality usually experience attacks of muscle weakness or paralysis and occasional dreamlike experiences while awake. Narcolepsy is a disturbance of the portion of sleep called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep into the waking period.
There are three forms of sleep paralysis. Ramsawh (2005) found that when it occurs in non-narcoleptic individuals it is known to as isolated sleep paralysis (ISP). Another form is referred to as familial sleep paralysis, in which it is similar to ISP, but genetically transmitted (Levitt, 2009). The final form of sleep paralysis is narcoleptic sleep paralysis, which occurs as a symptom of Narcolepsy (Levitt, 2009). Isolated sleep paralysis episodes are characteristic with “infrequent attacks and a negative family history”, and familial sleep paralysis with “more frequent attacks and a positive family history” (Powell, 1998, p. 239). Each form of sleep paralysis is unique and different in the causes and symptoms they possess.
Parasomnia refers to a wide variety of disruptive, sleep-related events or, "disorders of arousal." These behaviors and experiences occur usually while sleeping, and most are often infrequent and mild. They may however happen often enough to become so bothersome that medical attention should be sought out. "Parasomnias are disorders characterized by abnormal behavior or physiological events occurring in association with sleep stages, or sleep-wake transitions."(DSM pg. 435)
What Is Narcolepsy? - NHLBI, NIH. N.p., 01 Nov. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. .
Sleep paralysis is a condition that occurs at either the onset or upon awakening of sleep. The medical terms for the two forms of sleep paralysis are hypnogogic and hypnopompic (1). When a person falls asleep, the body secretes hormones that relax certain muscles within the body, causing it to go into paralysis. Doing this prevents the body from acting out a person's dream, which could result in an injury. Sleep paralysis generally runs within one's family or in those who suffer from narcolepsy (2), but there is currently no explanation for why some people get it while others do not.
Some withdrawn patients are highly susceptible to suggestion and will obey commands or imitate actions, a condition known as echopraxia, or mimic phrases, also known as echolalia. Ordinarily, patients in a catatonic stupor will refuse to comply with even the slightest request and pay no attention to bowel or bladder control. Facial expressions are typically vacant, and skin texture appears waxy.
Did you ever awaken and find yourself unable to move? Perhaps you sensed a presence in your room or a pressure on your chest. This is sleep paralysis. It is a common disorder that affects millions of people. Most believe it occurs as we are on the edge of REM sleep. The disorder has been connected with such hallucinogenic events such as alien abduction or an evil presence. Sleep paralysis is an inability to move or speak, occasionally accompanied by hallucinations, for up to several minutes upon awakening or just before falling asleep.
Sleep disorders are an underestimated public health concern considering that fifty to seventy million Americans are affected. Technological advances in the field of sleep have facilitated various theories to explain the need for and the purpose of sleep. Scientist have uncovered many types of sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Sleep disorders affect men ,women, children, the elderly, and the obese in different ways. Factors such as the number of children and the effects of menopause have been studied to determine their effects on sleep. Various treatments have been utilized ranging from non-pharmacologic to pharmacologic methods. Scientist have pinpointed areas of the brain that are involved in sleep deprivation and hormones that ultimately affect sleep.
Parasomnias are a sub-category of sleep disorder that involve strange and abnormal behaviors, movements and emotions that can occur during or in between sleep stages. Somnambulism, or sleepwalking disorder, is a type of parasomnia that is relatively common in childhood, but tends to subside into adulthood (Perogamvros, 2015). Sleepwalking is characterized by behaviors that are initiated during arousal from slow-wave sleep (Perogamvros, 2015). The behaviors can be simple, complex, and in some cases nonsensical or dangerous in nature. Sleepwalking walking episodes are most likely to occur during times of psychological or physiological stress, and can be triggered by various genetic, environmental and external factors (Gilles & Cataldo
Sleepiness is a biological function that is defined as the increase in the tendency to sleep. Excessive sleepiness is the abnormal increase in the likelihood of dozing off, falling asleep or having sleep attacks at times when the sleep is not desired. Excessive sleepiness is a condition that is characterized by persistent sleepiness and regularly a lack of energy even during the day after outwardly adequate or prolonged nighttime sleep. This condition is referred to as hypersomnia. Hypersomnia interferes with the daily activities of the victims. People who have hypersomnia always feel sleepy during the day. More so they tend to sleep longer than usual at night. This condition is also referred to as Somnolence or prolonged drowsiness. It is
Sleep is a very important factor in the human function. Our body and brain is able to reset itself and rejuvenate while we sleep. When we do not get the required amount of sleep, we start to feel lethargic and foggy minded, because our mind and body wasn’t able to replenish itself. Sleep is imperative that an insignificant rest deficiency or lack of sleep can affect our ability to remember things; decisions and can affect our temperament. Chronic sleep deficiency can get the body to feel agitated and it could lead to serious health problems such as, heart problems, stress, acne, and obesity.
Sleep disorders are conditions that effect the ability to sleep well on a regular basis. They can be caused by health problems or by too much stress. More than 75% of Americans are effected by sleep disorders between the ages of 20 to 59. Depending on the type of sleep disorder people may have a hard time falling asleep or may feel extremely tired throughout the day. In some cases, sleep disorders can be a sign of another medical or mental health condition, but can go away if treated. If sleep disorders are untreated they can have a heavy toll on the human body.