What is Narcolepsy?
Author: mzPOTTER
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder of neurological origin. The main characteristic of narcolepsy is daytime sleepiness excessive. The patient usually feels sleepy, either continuously or at different times of day.
Sometimes the sleepiness is so sudden and so intense that is called “sleep attack.” Some people may have several attacks of daytime sleepiness. The sleep attacks can last from a few minutes to over an hour.
Other symptoms of narcolepsy, which may or may not appear in all patients, are:
Cataplexy: the sudden and reversible decrease or total loss of muscle tone, usually triggered by strong emotions such as laughter, anger or fear. The patient remains conscious during cataplexy.
Sleep paralysis: it is a temporary inability to talk or move when the patient begins sleep, during sleep or when awake. It can last from seconds to minutes.
Hypnagogic hallucinations, are very difficult to distinguish experience of reality and often frightening, usually occur while the person falls asleep or waking up. Among the patients there are wide variations in the development, severity, and order of appearance of symptoms.
How Common is Narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy is more common than thought. Its incidence in Western countries is between 0.2 and 2.6 by 1000. It is as widespread as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis is more common than cystic fibrosis, even less known.