Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy Latest News

Two researchers who did groundbreaking work on narcolepsy, the neurological disorder that triggers sudden sleep attacks, won a prestigious science award recently.

About Narcolepsy

• Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes extreme daytime sleepiness and sudden “sleep attacks,” where you fall asleep without warning. These can happen at any time, even during regular activities. 
• It affects your brain’s ability to control when you fall asleep and wake up.
• The condition can disrupt your daily life, making it harder to work, study, or keep relationships. 
• Narcolepsy is uncommon. But it’s a manageable lifelong condition.  
• There are two main types:
  • Narcolepsy type 1: This type causes sudden muscle weakness (cataplexy) and/or very low levels of a brain chemical called hypocretin/orexin (helps control wakefulness and rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep).
  • Narcolepsy type 2: This type causes daytime sleepiness like type 1, but without cataplexy. 
• A separate condition called secondary narcolepsy can happen due to a brain injury, lesion, or other medical or genetic disorder. 
  • It often comes with more severe symptoms and longer sleep times. 

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Narcolepsy What Causes Narcolepsy?

• The exact cause of narcolepsy is not known. 
• People with type 1 narcolepsy have low levels of hypocretin, also called orexin. Hypocretin is a chemical in the brain that helps control being awake and entering REM sleep.
• Hypocretin levels are low in people who have cataplexy. 
• Exactly what causes the loss of hypocretin-producing cells in the brain isn’t known. 
• But experts suspect it’s due to an autoimmune reaction. An autoimmune reaction is when the body’s immune system destroys its own cells.
• It’s also likely that genetics plays a role in narcolepsy. But the risk of a parent passing this sleep condition to a child is very low—only about 1% to 2%.
• Narcolepsy may be linked to exposure to the H1N1 flu, sometimes called the swine flu

Narcolepsy Symptoms

• Narcolepsy can feel different for everyone. Common symptoms include: 
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness: Feeling very sleepy during the day or suddenly falling asleep without warning
  • Cataplexy: Sudden muscle weakness, triggered by strong emotion, which can make you drop things or fall
  • Hallucinations: Seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there as you drift into or out of sleep
  • Sleep paralysis: Not being able to move or speak for a short time when falling asleep or waking up
  • Automatic behaviors: Doing things like walking while half asleep and not remembering it later.
  • Poor nighttime sleep: Waking up often or not sleeping deeply, even if you fall asleep easily
• Narcolepsy itself isn’t usually dangerous, but sudden sleep episodes or muscle weakness can lead to accidents or injuries. These risks are higher when driving, using machinery, or doing activities like swimming or climbing. 

Narcolepsy Treatment

• There’s no cure for narcolepsy. 
• But treatment can help you manage symptoms and improve daily life. 

News:MED