Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that, if left untreated, can disrupt your life. If you experience excessive sleepiness during the day or fall asleep suddenly, you may think you have narcolepsy. However, your symptoms may come and go, and you may not consistently experience excessive daytime sleepiness.
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that affects the brain, making it hard to stay asleep and wake feeling sleepy throughout the day. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the disorder affects more people than we may realize, with an estimated 1 in 3,000 people in the United States suffering from narcolepsy. Although rare, narcolepsy can be difficult to diagnose since its symptoms resemble other conditions, such as depression, anxiety, narcolepsy, and ADHD.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness. Narcoleptics may experience unusual drowsiness at any time, including during times when their bodies would normally feel alert. Drowsy people may fall asleep suddenly or fall asleep at inappropriate times.
- Sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which a person becomes paralyzed while sleeping. It occurs in 3.5% to 5% of the population, and it’s most commonly associated with narcolepsy, a chronic condition in which the body produces excessive amounts of the sleep-inducing hormone, narcolepsy, that disturbs the sleep cycle.
Sleep paralysis is an odd phenomenon where a person can’t move but remains conscious and aware. The feeling of being unable to move is intense, while the person is fully aware of their surroundings and can hear, see, and feel.
- Hallucinations
Hallucinations, also known as illusions, are thoughts, images, or sensations that they believe are real. When hallucinations occur due to narcolepsy, they affect their ability to function. Narcolepsy symptoms vary from person to person, but one of the most common symptoms is daytime drowsiness.
Hallucinations occur when the brain receives false information from your senses. When you’re hallucinating, you experience something that isn’t there. Some examples of hallucinations include hearing voices, seeing things that aren’t really there, feeling touched when nobody touches you, and smelling things that aren’t really there.
- Narcolepsy Type 1
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder often associated with excessive daytime sleepiness, sudden sleep attacks, and cataplexy. This type of narcolepsy is known as narcolepsy type 1, or cataplexy. Narcolepsy type 1 tends to affect men more often than women, and it affects people between 20 and 40 years of age most often. Type 1 causes excessive sleepiness and cataplexy, or sudden muscle weakness.
- Narcolepsy Type 2
Narcolepsy type 2 is diagnosed when a person is suffering from a sleep attack (hypnagogic) but not experiencing any periods of sleep paralysis (cataplexy) or sleepwalking (somniloquy). Type 2 causes excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, and sleep paralysis.
- Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder
Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder that disrupts a person’s natural ability to fall and stay asleep throughout the night. People with narcolepsy may fall asleep suddenly, even during a conversation. Sometimes, people with narcolepsy fall asleep when walking, sitting, standing, or lying down. People who doze off suddenly risk accidents, such as falling asleep while driving.
- Automatic behaviors
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that is characterized by extreme daytime sleepiness. People with narcolepsy may experience excessive sleepiness during the day, despite getting enough sleep the previous night. Narcolepsy can cause problems with sleeping, such as falling asleep at inappropriate times or waking up unrefreshed.
- Fragmented sleep
The Narcolepsy Fragmented sleep research hypothesis suggests that people with narcolepsy who experience fragmented sleep also experience depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Fragmented sleep is a scenario where a narcoleptic doesn’t wake up fully throughout the night and is often accompanied by other sleep disturbances, such as changes in sleep patterns, vivid nightmares, and difficulty falling and staying asleep.
- Microsleep
Those who suffer from narcolepsy may experience the “microsleep” phenomenon. The condition causes temporary lapses in alertness, sometimes resulting in sleep while driving. The condition is diagnosed after painful sensory episodes that disrupt normal sleep patterns. Patients often have sleep paralysis, which can trigger hallucinations and other sleep disturbances. While medication may help, the condition tips over into a psychological disorder. If you’re looking for additional treatment options for narcolepsy, you can check out narcolepsy new treatment at Power.
- Rapid entry to REM sleep
Rapid entry into REM sleep (REMS) is an unusual but well-documented phenomenon. REMS is the sudden onset of REM sleep following a period of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. A typical person will cycle through NREM and REM sleep several times a night, with REM sleep lasting approximately 90 seconds. For people with narcolepsy, REMS can be absent altogether, resulting in a condition known as REM atonia.