Narcolepsy: A Case Study

Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder that occurs during the adolescence stage. It is peculiar as it causes the afflicted person to develop a spontaneous sleep cycle during the day. This disorder prompts “sleep attacks” to occur, and can even be accompanied by cataplexy, random muscle failure or really just REM sleep paralysis (Zimbardo, Johnson, Weber,2008, p.109). It can be dangerous as the attacks can be triggered at any time by intense feelings of emotion or a lack of stimulation. This means that in cases such as driving, sexual intercourse, and times of extreme happiness a narcoleptic person could just fall straight into REM sleep (Zimbardo, Johnson, Weber,2008,

In his article “Narcolepsy,” Jerome M. Siegel discusses the disease and its possible causes. To begin with, Siegel defines the symptoms and problems associated with the disease. Moreover, he states what exactly the disease is, his research into its causes and effects on the nervous system, and the possibility that the narcolepsy may be an autoimmune disease.

People with narcolepsy do not spend a greater amount of time asleep compared to normal sleepers. Actually, individuals with this disorder experience poor sleep quality that involves waking up in the middle of the night, daytime drowsiness, and uncontrollable sleep episodes. For normal sleepers, a night’s sleep last about eight hours, composed of four to six separate sleep cycles, and each cycle is about 100 to 110 minutes long. REM sleep starts after 80 to 100 minutes. People with narcolepsy enter the REM sleep within a few minutes of falling asleep.

Firstly, what is narcolepsy? Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that effects your central nervous system that does not allow the person to have a regulated sleep cycle. A regular person normally has a 90 minute sleep cycle, while a narcoleptic goes straight into REM sleep. Since they go straight into REM sleep, the brain does not have a chance to recover from its constant activities. A narcoleptics

Audience Relevance: Many of us are college students and young adults who are lacking sleep each night. It is not healthy to receive less than the amount we are supposed to each night. Each night, we are supposed to be getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep.

Performed the morning after the overnight polysomnogram, also in a sleep lab, this test measures how long it takes a person to fall asleep during the day. During this test, you will be asked to take four or five scheduled naps every two hours. The first nap starts two hours after awakening that morning. People with normal sleep and alertness take about 10-20 minutes to fall asleep. People with narcolepsy take a much shorter time (less than five minutes) to fall asleep. (Ratini,

A person with narcolepsy can experience extreme daytime sleepiness and uncontrollable falling asleep during daytime.

Treatments for narcolepsy are based entirely on the symptoms that manifest and though non-pharmacological therapy has been used, drug-based therapy is the backbone of most of the treatment arranged. In its early days, narcolepsy was treated with caffeine and other traditional stimulants but there uses become extremely risky to the heart at high dosages. Insulin-induced hypoglycemia was tried as well but it only showed small and temporary remissions. Mostly antidepressants are used to treat narcolepsy now, but there is still a lack of evidence that showing positive results[NarcRev]. As more research is done, and our comprehension of how the mind works and how it links with the body progresses, we may find better and more accurate treatments for this unique disorder. These results that specific chemicals of the brain are entangled in narcolepsy also opens new research paths in sleep research. Overall, narcolepsy is an often misunderstood and undiagnosed disorder and although not much is known about it, with additional research, the future of treatments and maybe even a cure can be

Males and females are equally affected by narcolepsy. Although the disorder has been diagnosed in a five-year-old, its symptoms most frequently appear for the first time during adolescence. In an estimated seventy-five percent of cases, the attacks begin between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five; only five percent of cases begin before the age of ten. Onset is rare after the age of forty; if narcolepsy seems to appear in an older person, it has probably existed undiagnosed for years. Sleep researchers believe that the extra need for sleep characteristic of adolescence may make this stage of development particularly vulnerable for the onset of narcolepsy. Thus, this disorder may typically begin in adolescence because it is somehow triggered

     “Insomnia is the inability to obtain adequate amount or quality of sleep. The difficulty can be with falling asleep, remaining asleep, or both” (“Insomnia Encyclopedia“). Sleeping is a major point in physically and mentally restoring yourself for the tasks ahead. Most people say that about eight hours of sleep is an adequate amount, however it differs from person to person depending on their sex, age, and health conditions. An estimated one-third of the population suffers from some form of insomnia. “In recent studies, a survey reported that 30% of American women and 20% of American men took medication to help them sleep during the course of a year” (“Insomnia”). The medications these people took are called

Catatonic disorders are classified under the DSM-5 Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders section. These disorders are defined by abnormalities in one or more of the following five domains. They include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behavior (including catatonia), and negative symptoms. Catatonia is a condition that can occur in the situation of several disorders, including neurodevelopmental, psychotic, bipolar, depressive disorders, and other medical conditions (e.g. rare autoimmune disorders). The DSM-5 does not treat catatonia as an independent class, but recognizes catatonia as being associated with other mental disorders (e.g., psychotic

We spend one third of our lives doing it, and yet, some of us never seem to be able to get enough. People all over the world don’t receive enough sleep whether it’s from a medical condition like narcolepsy, or simply not having enough time in a day. The effects of getting a good night’s rest are essential and signs of sleep depravation are not as hard to spot as one may think.

: According to Criterion A, during a 1-month period (or less if treatment is successful), two or more of the following symptoms must be present: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, negative symptoms. While a person needs to exhibit at least two of these symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, and/or disorganized speech must be present. Therefore, if a person is only experiencing grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior and negative symptoms, that individual does not meet the first diagnostic criteria. Consistent with Criterion B, since the onset of the disturbance, the individual’s level of functioning in at least one major area must be markedly below the level achieved prior to onset.

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.

A few of the articles that were used in studying this disorder agreed that sleeping more at night could help those people lose weight. One article that was used said that sleeping pills and tranquilizers could increase a person’s risk of death, (#4, 2010) while another article used in this research said that prescription pills could be used to prevent insomnia. (MediLexicon, Intl., 2012) With the research that is currently being put towards this disorder, researchers should start to agree more on insomnia and ways to prevent or cure it.