Narcolepsy Case

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.

Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder that affects 1 in about 2,000 people in the United States. Many people are unaware that they have this disorder, and it goes undiagnosed. Narcolepsy affects your sleeping pattern, including irregular patterns in your Rapid Eye Movement (REM), and significant disruptions in your normal sleep/wake cycle. There is no cure for this disorder, but it is treatable. We also don’t know what causes it.

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

According to MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, the common symptoms of narcolepsy are periods of extreme drowsiness during the day (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). People with narcolepsy feel a strong desire to sleep, usually followed by a short nap. The sleep attacks last about fifteen minutes but can be longer. Often times, these sleep attacks happen after eating, during driving, and other everyday tasks. After a short nap, a person usually wakes up feeling refreshed and energized. As stated by Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, “Another symptom is dream-like hallucinations between sleep and wakefulness” (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). This is when a person experiences seeing or hearing right before they fall asleep. Sleep paralysis and cataplexy are also common symptoms of narcolepsy (MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia). Sleep paralysis is not being able to move as you are falling asleep or upon waking up. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, it usually goes unnoticed because it occurs during REM sleep (NINDS). REM sleep is rapid eye movement sleep. It occurs in breaks when rapid eye movements occur along with bodily movement. Similarly, cataplexy is a sudden loss of mobility. This is also associated with strong emotion like laughter or anger, which can trigger cataplexy

Leonie was seen today as ongoing management for narcolepsy. She has continued on with dexamphetamine 10mg in the morning and 10mg in the afternoon. Whilst initially noticing good benefit, she has worsened significantly with regards to her daytime symptoms more recently. Part of this she believes is a lack of efficacy of the dexamphetamine and also part of this she believes is re-emergence of sleep walking.

Narcolepsy is a uncommon sleep disorder characterized for excessive daytime sleepiness and significant daily dysfunction. Daily periods of irresistible need to fall asleep during times when individual is supposed to be awake, as driving or at work, that may result in an accident. Patients with narcolepsy must of the times suffer from insomnia caused by sleep fragmentation this is why is imperative for narcolepsy to be diagnosed and treated.

Summary: Narcolepsy and cataplexy are lifelong illness due to the loss of Hypocretin in the brain. Hypocretin is a chemical that regulate sleep cycle, without it people will experience sleep disorder. There is no cure for the disease. However, condition can be managed by drug therapy and several behavioral strategies. But I am looking forward that one day researcher will find a cure for it so I can live my life normally as I used before.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder which the brain are unable to regulate sleep wake cycles normally.

Narcolepsy is a neurological, sleep disorder that affects 1 in 2000 Americans. It is not selective against race, nor gender, and does not have a link among family members. Therefore anyone, and everyone is susceptible to having narcolepsy. In addition narcolepsy is often misunderstood, underdiagnosed and/or misdiagnosed. Currently there is no cure for this chronic and sometimes debilitating condition. The focus of this paper is to re-examine current knowledge of narcolepsy, through significant scientific research, in order to generate a desire to continue to search for a cure that will lead to the improvement of the quality of life for

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness caused by a disturbance in sleep/wake cycles. It affects men and women equally, and it typically takes up to ten years after onset to get diagnosed. Onset usually occurs in the teen years, however it can also develop in children or adults. There is typically a peak incidence at age 15, and a smaller peak at age 36. Globally, narcolepsy affects approximately 1 in 2000 people, however for unknown reasons, the rate in Japan is nearly twice as high.

Narcolepsy (narco meaning “numbness” and lepsy meaning “seizure”) consists primarily of attacks of irresistible sleepiness in the daytime. The patients day is broken up by a series of brief and repetitive sleep attacks, perhaps even two hundred attacks in a single day. These transient, strong attacks may last from a few seconds to as much as thirty minutes, with an average spell lasting two minutes. When a patient suddenly gets the urge to sleep, it is practically impossible for them to ignore that they are suffering an attack, in any situation. These sleep attacks happen uncontrollably, and in any situation or place. People with narcolepsy typically fall asleep suddenly, on the job, in conversation, standing up, and even while eating, driving, or making love. (Matzen 2016, p.1) Many individuals with Narcolepsy are extremely sleepy all day, regardless of how much sleep they got the night before. One of the more prominent and troubling features of Narcolepsy is Cataplexy. Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone that causes the person to quickly collapse. More than seventy percent of people with Narcolepsy suffer from Cataplexy. Cataplexy may consist of all the muscles or only a select few, so the severity may range from total collapse to the ground to partial collapse of a limb or the jaw. The Cataplectic (patient) sometimes remains

Narcolepsy is defined as a lifelong neurological disorder of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep in which the affected individual has attacks of irresistible daytime sleepiness, cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness in response to emotional triggers like surprise, laughter, fright, or anger), hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis (Wiley). Cataplexy is one of the most common signs of narcolepsy and many investigators argue the presence of cataplexy is required to confirm a diagnosis of narcolepsy. Cataplectic attacks can be elicited easily with canines by emotional stimuli, like food or play. When a cataplectic attack happens the muscles weaken and often the dog collapses. These attacks most often affect the neck, front legs, hind legs, or all

Because of their frequent, inevitable sleep attacks, narcoleptics often go back and forth between sleep and wakefulness in a state that has been likened to sleepwalking and is termed automatic behavior. When in this state, the person seems to behave normally but later does not remember anything they have done. For example, narcoleptics might find themselves in a different building or several exits farther down a highway than they last remembered. Obviously, automatic behavior is very anxiety-producing; it is very troubling to narcoleptics to be unable to remember what they have done in the minutes or hours that have just passed (Matzen,

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)