overview
- Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks. People with narcolepsy often find it difficult to stay awake for long periods of time, regardless of the circumstances. Narcolepsy can seriously disrupt your daily routine.
- Sometimes narcolepsy can be accompanied by a sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy), which can be triggered by a strong emotion. Narcolepsy that occurs with cataplexy is known as type 1 narcolepsy. Narcolepsy that occurs without cataplexy is known as type 2 narcolepsy.
- Narcolepsy is a chronic disease for which there is no cure. However, medications and lifestyle changes can help you relieve symptoms. Supporting others – family, friends, employers, teachers – can help you manage narcolepsy.
- symptom
The signs and symptoms of narcolepsy can be worn for the first few years and then last for a lifetime. They include:
Excessive daytime sleepiness. People with narcolepsy fall asleep anywhere, anytime, without warning. For example, you work or talk to friends and suddenly fall asleep for a few minutes to half an hour. When you wake up you feel refreshed, but eventually you go back to sleep. Narcolepsy Treatment in Hyderabad
You may also feel a decrease in alertness and focus as the day progresses. Excessive daytime sleepiness is usually the first symptom to appear and is often the most bothersome thing preventing you from focusing and functioning properly.
Sudden loss of muscle tone. This condition, called cataplexy (KAT-uh-plek-see), can cause a number of physical changes, ranging from speech impairment to complete weakness in most muscles and lasting up to a few minutes.
The reasons
- The exact cause of narcolepsy is unknown. People with type 1 narcolepsy have low levels of chemical hypocretin (Hi-Poe-KREE tin). Hypocretin is an important neurochemical in your brain that helps regulate wakefulness and REM sleep.
- Hypocretin levels are particularly low in people with cataplexy. It’s unclear exactly what causes the loss of hypocretin-producing cells in the brain, but experts suggest that this is due to an autoimmune reaction.
- Genetics likely play a role in the development of narcolepsy as well. However, the risk of a parent passing this disorder on to a child is very small – only about 1%. Narcolepsy Treatment in Hyderabad
Risk factors
Few known risk factors for narcolepsy include:
Age. Narcolepsy usually starts in people between the ages of 10 and 30.
Family history. Your risk of narcolepsy is 20 to 40 times higher if you have a family member who has narcolepsy.