Narcolepsy: Everything You Need to Know

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is identified as a chronic sleep disorder with abnormal and uncontrollable daytime sleeps. It is a neurological disorder that affects your sleep cycle with sudden attacks of sleep at any period or situation. Narcolepsy resembles the symptoms of depression, severe anxiety and certain other health conditions. Due to this, it remains undiagnosed for years.

Narcolepsy is an automatic behaviour of the brain with no prevention or cure. However, expert healthcare assistance and lifestyle management can help one cope better with this condition.

Types of Narcolepsy

The normal sleep cycle involves different stages of sleep and leads to deeper levels as it proceeds. Narcolepsy resists normal sleep functioning and causes excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). There are two major types of narcolepsy:

• Type 1: Narcolepsy type 1 is often accompanied by the sudden loss of muscle tone - a condition known as cataplexy. It can be triggered by strong emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger and stress. It triggers uncontrolled episodes of sudden muscle weakness with temporary loss of muscular control. This type is also characterised by low levels of hypocretin.
• Type 2: The chronic condition without cataplexy is considered type 2 narcolepsy. Although patients undergo excessive daytime sleepiness, their hypocretin levels remain normal.

What are The Symptoms of Narcolepsy?

Although narcolepsy is a lifetime issue, it rarely gets worse as people get older. While symptoms may improve over time, they generally do not go away entirely. Common symptoms of narcolepsy include:

• Cataplexy: It is the sudden loss of muscle and weakness in muscles that can last up to a few minutes. Triggered by intense positive or negative emotions, it causes uncontrolled muscle activity. The frequency of cataplexy depends upon the severity of the conditions.
• Disrupted sleep: Unable to sleep during the night or disturbed sleep. It might be due to breathing problems, frequent awakenings, intense dreams or uncontrollable body movement.
• Excessive sleepiness: Narcolepsy makes people fall asleep anywhere anytime. Tiredness, weakness and drowsiness are generally experienced. It might refresh your mood for a short span, but eventually, you will feel sleepy again. This consumes your active energy and decreases concentration, leaving you depressed and exhausted.
• Sleep paralysis: Failure or helplessness to move or speak during, pre- or post-sleep. Losing consciousness, falling over or sudden pause in movement can be observed.
• Hallucination: You may experience different sensations just after falling asleep (hypnagogic hallucination) or just after waking up (hypnopompic hallucination). These experiences can be horrifying for some people and can increase their mental stress dramatically. 
• Changes in eye movement: It affects the dreaming process and changes rapid eye movement (REM; the sequence where the dreaming cycle processes). Rapid eye movement normally happens after at least 90 minutes of sleep. But with people suffering from narcolepsy, it happens within 15 minutes of sleep.

Narcolepsy: Causes

The exact cause of narcolepsy is still unknown, but experts predict the involvement of various factors that affect or increase the chances of narcolepsy. Sometimes, several factors combine to cause or interfere with the sleeping pattern and change REM sleep. Narcolepsy can be caused by the following:

• Genetic links have been found for developing narcolepsy. Genetic mapping controls chemical reactions in your brain and might affect the sleeping cycle if there’s a history. However, the chances are less than 5%.
• In narcolepsy, the brain lacks the production of neurochemical hypocretin. This chemical regulates arousal, wakefulness, activeness and appetite. 
• Exposure to certain health conditions or viruses increases the chances of narcolepsy. As per a report, swine flu indicates an increase in the chances of narcolepsy.
• Consistent psychological stress or frequent changes in sleep patterns can trigger narcolepsy.
• Hormonal changes and autoimmune conditions can lead to narcolepsy.
• People between the age of 15 and 25 are more prone to narcolepsy.

Diagnosis of Narcolepsy

Symptoms of narcolepsy mimic other health conditions as we discussed above. Diagnosis of narcolepsy involves:

• Physical examination to understand recent or past health conditions
• Study of sleeping pattern and stress levels
• Tracking the other significant symptoms to understand the condition better
• Polysomnogram (PSG) test is an overnight test conducted in a clinic. It also helps to reveal REM sleep at inappropriate times in your sleep cycle.
• Multiple sleep latency tests (MSLT) are conducted to track your sleeping pattern during the day to understand the elements and frequency of your sleep cycle.

Treatment of Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is treated based on the major symptoms, type and treatment history of the patient. The treatment aims to reduce daytime sleepiness, and it can involve:

• Stimulants such as amphetamine and methylphenidate effectively treat excessive sleep. However, they are associated with side effects such as agitations, anxiety and palpitations. Hence, blood pressure and heart rate need to be tracked regularly.
• Antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, clomipramine and desipramine are prescribed to deal with the excessive stress emerging due to cataplexy, hallucinations, sleep paralysis and disturbed night sleep.
• Sodium oxybate helps to treat daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. 
• Wake-promoting medication such as Modafinil or Armodafinil
• Strict meal plans and exercises

Complications Associated with Narcolepsy

Certain percentages of complications are linked with health conditions and disorders.  With narcolepsy, complications can be:

• Periodic limb movement disorder
• Feeling of detachment in emotional connection
• Sleep apnea
• Anxiety and stress can trigger physical harm
• Obesity
• Social connections are affected at times
• Automatic behaviour

Management of the Condition

Management of narcolepsy requires medical and emotional support to manage the condition better. A regular sleeping routine can help to prevent the development of narcolepsy. Encourage the addition of lifestyle changes, schedule your meal plans and exercise to avoid any complications. Take short breaks, ignore heavy meals during the day and seek expert medical assistance to manage the condition and track your patterns.

Conclusion

Narcolepsy can be a mentally draining disorder that interferes with different aspects of the person’s life. It requires the active support of family and friends to help overcome stress, fear and depression. Medical and expert assistance from your doctor can help you deal with narcolepsy.  Book Blood test at Metropolis Healthcare.