How Is Narcolepsy: Helpful Or Harmful?

Then you will move into stage two which includes sleep spindles and K complexes. Sleep spindles are very short bursts of brain activity, and K complexes are single high voltage strikes of brain activity. Also, in stage two delta brain waves start to slow function of the brain preparing for stage three and four. Stage three and stage four i will talk about as one because they are very similar and do similar things. These stages are referred to slow wave sleep because your brain is in it’s slowest speed of function. In stage three you brain is between 20 and 50 percent delta waves, from 50 to 100 percent delta waves you are considered to be in stage four. While in stage four people may experience sleep walking and other muscular movement without knowing so. Noises as loud as 90 decibels may not be able to wake the person from sleep. During REM sleep which is after NREM sleep the brain is more active and alert. This is where most dreams occur because your brain is active but you are still sleeping. After the short 15 minute period of REM sleep you will start over with stage one of NREM these cycles normally take 90 minutes to complete. Activity during sleep can come at any point but is most common in REM or stage four of

Sleepwalking most often occurs at a certain point in the sleep "architecture" (6).This is the point where the sleeper's brain waves have become larger and he or she has moved into deeper sleep. This is not REM sleep, but deep non-REM sleep. The series of complex behaviors characterizing somnambulism includes "amnesia following an episode," and "difficulty in arousing the patient during an episode" (9). The patient can also have other REM disorders or psychiatric and medical disorders which do not account for the sleepwalking. While sleepwalking, the patients' brainwaves show a mixture of types of brainwave patterns, including ones similar to those observed in waking patients, as well as those found in deep sleep. It is the "awake" patterns which match the waking behaviors like walking and talking while the patient is still asleep enough so that he or she is not aware of what it happening and is not forming memories of their actions (3).

There are four levels of parasomnias. These levels include: Arousal Disorders, Sleep Wake Transition, REM Associated Parasomnias, and Miscellaneous Parasomnias. Each level has certain types of parasomnias categorized under it. Arousal Disorders involve sleepwalking, confusional arousals, and sleep terrors. Sleep Wake Transition Disorders involve rhythmic movement disorder, sleep starts, sleep talking, and nocturnal leg cramps. REM Associated Parasomnias involve nightmares, sleep paralysis, sleep-related sinus arrest, and REM behavior disorder. Miscellaneous Parasomnias involve bruxism, sleep enuresis, and Nocturnal Paroxysmal Dystonia. Parasomnias are actually classified into two groups as well. These groups are the primary parasomnias and

Narcolepsy is defined as a condition characterized by an extreme tendency to fall asleep whenever in relaxing surroundings. It is a brain disorder that causes poor control of sleep and wake cycles. People that have narcolepsy usually experience sudden sleep attacks. These sleep attacks can last from a few seconds to minutes. Narcolepsy is classified by extreme daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnologic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. In this paper the focus is on the physiological effects of Narcolepsy on an individual, as well as explains treatments and recent research studies being made today and in the future.

There are many reasons as to how and why sleep disturbances form. Sleep disturbances are caused by physical pain, medical issues, environmental use such as alcohol, stress, and jet lag. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth begins to sleep walk when a doctor comes to see her. “In this slumbery agitation, besides her walking and other actual

I suffer from Narcolepsy, a neurological disorder. Narcolepsy impacts my life because it causes extreme drowsiness and at times I fall asleep at any time without warning. During periods of extreme drowsiness, it is difficult to maintain attention or sometimes even remember what occurred during that period of time. Basically, it results in mental cloudiness.

Parasomnia refers to a wide variety of disruptive, sleep-related events or, "disorders of arousal." These behaviors and experiences occur usually while sleeping, and most are often infrequent and mild. They may however happen often enough to become so bothersome that medical attention should be sought out. "Parasomnias are disorders characterized by abnormal behavior or physiological events occurring in association with sleep stages, or sleep-wake transitions."(DSM pg. 435)

Imagine if you were in the middle of an important event, such as your own wedding. Your future spouse has already said “I do” and it is your turn. Before the words can escape your lips, you fall asleep. When you finally open your eyes, everyone is staring in confusion at you, but you have no recollection of what just happened. You have no idea that you fell asleep. This is a realistic situation for a person suffering from Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a chronic brain disorder that involves poor control over sleep-wake cycles. It is characterized by microsleep episodes over which the sufferer has no control. One in three thousand people are affected by Narcolepsy in America so this is not a rare disorder, contrary to what the majority of people believe. Narcolepsy is a lifelong disorder with no

Our awareness of the complexity of sleep expanded in 1953 with the discovery of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep by Aserinsky and Kleitman. Sleep was no longer considered a homogenous state, but rather a dynamic process of cycling between two distinct states, non-REM and REM sleep. Under normal circumstances the boundaries between non-REM, REM and wakefulness are well declared. Dissociative sleep disorders involve a breakdown of these boundaries (Mahowald and Schenck 1992), and provide a unique window on the neurophysiological mechanisms responsible for each state. Narcolepsy, a disorder of the boundary between wakefulness and REM sleep, is probably the most studied disorder of this nature. The following is a review of another recently

Night terrors, also known as sleep terrors, are episodes of screaming, intense fear and flailing while still asleep (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Sleep terrors are considered a parasomnia, a disorder characterized by abnormal behavior of the nervous system while sleeping, and are often paired with sleepwalking, which is also a parasomnia. They are characterized by frequent recurrent episodes of intense crying and fear during sleep (Web MD, 2017).

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) causing uncontrollable and sometimes inappropriate napping. Though the naps are often refreshing their frequent occurrences can severely impair daily social functioning. Apart from EDS the cardinal symptoms are; hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, sleep onset rapid eye movement periods (SOREMP) and approximately 50% of all patients also suffer from cataplexy; sudden episodes of emotionally triggered muscle weakness (Saper et al., 2001, Schenck et al., 2007). In healthy individuals sleep normally progresses from light drowsiness to deep sleep and after approximately 90 minutes it will transition into rapid eyes movement (REM) sleep. With the

Somnambulism, or sleepwalking, belongs to a group of parasomnias. This disorder of arousal is characterized by complex motor behaviors initiated during stages 3 and 4 of non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep (slow-wave sleep) (3). Behaviors during sleepwalking episodes can vary greatly. Some episodes are limited to sitting up, fumbling and getting dressed, while others include more complex behaviors such as walking, driving a car, or preparing a meal (2). After awakening, the sleepwalker usually has no recollection of what has happened and may appear confused and disoriented. The behaviors performed while sleepwalking are said to be autonomous automatisms. These are nonrelfex actions performed without conscious volition and

Imagine what would happen if some of your worst nightmares actually came true. Although this is not typically a common occurrence amongst most individuals, for some, it can become a reality. Odd or dangerous behaviors that are exhibited during states of sleep are known as parasomnias. Most parasomnias are relatively harmless in nature, as is the case with the majority of movements associated with some sleep disorders, such as eating or talking while asleep.

Have you ever considered the importance of sleep and the impact it can have on your health? It is likely that most of us have experienced trouble sleeping at some point in our lives. This is typical and usually lasts for a short period of time due to stress or other various factors. However, if it becomes a regular occurrence then perhaps you may be suffering from some type of sleeping disorder. Sleep disorders can be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health disrupting the actions of your daily life.

Sleep disorders have always surrounded me through family and friends. though I never suffered with any sort of sleeping disorder, I was well aware of how unnerving it can be toothless who suffer from it. I did not know all of the different types there were, and was intrigued when reading chapter three of my psychology book. I had assumed that nigh terrors, which I used to think were the same as nightmares, were over exaggerations of a person’s scary dream. Sleepwalking also held interesting facts that I didn’t know prior. Having a best friend who occasionally sleepwalks, I was always interested in why she would seldom remember both walking and talking. I also appreciated learning about sleep apnea because my father used to struggle with it and would worry my mom about his breathing when he was asleep.