What Is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness.  It usually appears in young adults, ages 15-25, but it could appear earlier or later.  It is often undiagnosed for years and consequently, untreated.  The reason for this is that the symptoms of narcolepsy  are also symptoms of various other diseases.

Symptoms of narcolepsy include falling asleep during the day, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis.  The latter is a temporary inability to move or speak.  After a sleep episode, the patient comes back to normal function quickly.

Doctors are not clear on the cause of narcolepsy, but they feel that the chemical hypocretin in the brain may have something to do with it.  Normal sleep patterns involve first a light sleep, then a deeper sleep, and finally, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.  In a narcoleptic patient REM sleep occurs right away.

The result of narcolepsy is that the patient is often tired all the time.  The patient is usually treated with amphetamine like stimulants and/or antidepressants.  Additionally, patients are told to avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and heavy meals.  And to take regular naps during the day and exercise.  At this time there is no cure for narcolepsy, and as you can see, very little treatment.