People who are diagnosed with narcolepsy should seek counseling through educational networks and support groups. If you do have narcolepsy, the most effective treatment is often a combination of medications and behavioral changes. Narcolepsy is diagnosed by a physical exam, taking a medical history, as well as conducting sleep studies. Currently there is no cure for narcolepsy, but medications and behavioral treatments can improve symptoms for people so they can lead normal, productive lives. Without hypocretin, the person has trouble staying awake, and also experiences disruptions in the normal sleep-wake cycles. In narcolepsy, the cluster of cells that produce hypocretin-located in a region called the hypothalamus-is damaged or completely destroyed. Hypocretin acts on the alerting systems in the brain, keeping us awake and regulating sleep wake cycles. Narcolepsy with cataplexy is caused by the loss of a chemical in the brain called hypocretin. People with narcolepsy can also experience dream-like hallucinations and paralysis as they are falling asleep or waking up, as well as disrupted nighttime sleep and vivid nightmares. It causes sudden loss of muscle tone that leads to a slack jaw, or weakness of the arms, legs, or trunk.
For example, cataplexy is the muscle paralysis of REM sleep occurring during waking hours. In narcolepsy, the normal boundary between awake and asleep is blurred, so characteristics of sleeping can occur while a person is awake. People with narcolepsy feel very sleepy during the day and may involuntarily fall asleep during normal activities.
The symptoms appear in childhood or adolescence, but many people have symptoms of narcolepsy for years before getting a proper diagnosis. Narcolepsy occurs equally in men and women and is thought to affect roughly 1 in 2,000 people.
And I'm scared of getting my hopes up that this could really explain everything that's been going on.Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness, sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and in some cases episodes of cataplexy (partial or total loss of muscle control, often triggered by a strong emotion such as laughter). I've had so many stupid tests done and I've lost several friends who thought I was just exaggerating for attention.I am so anxious about my health now that I don't even care if it ends up being something terminal. I've been suffering with this stuff for 2 years (maybe more?) with no answer. The sleep study and MSLT is really just to rule out other possible issues like sleep apnea and cement the diagnosis.īut I've been very doubtful since the appointment last month. When I explained this to her, she said that this was an example of cataplexy and that, along with my other symptoms, makes her pretty convinced that I have narcolepsy. When I get really anxious or stressed, my whole body shakes and I get so weak in my legs that I can't stand. She asked me if I ever experienced leg weakness with strong emotions. My sleep specialist thinks that I have narcolepsy, especially after I answered one of her questions regarding cataplexy. You see, I have already been to a sleep specialist and my sleep study (w/ MSLT) is scheduled for next week. I was wondering if those already diagnosed with narcolepsy can assist me in something I'm trying to figure out.
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