Disturbed nighttime sleepĭisturbed nighttime sleep frequently occurs in people with narcolepsy. Automatic behavior can be very dangerous if a person is involved in a potentially dangerous activity such as driving or cooking. Sometimes a person may actually fall asleep and continue an activity, but not recall having done it when awakened. Automatic behaviorĪutomatic behavior is the performance of routine tasks by a person who is not consciously controlling the activity. A person with narcolepsy may also have other symptoms. The dreams are also disturbing because they can be mistaken for the hallucinations or the delusions of mental illness. These dreams are particularly frightening because the person is awake but has no control over the action. The dream is often like a nightmare, involving images or sounds of strange animals or prowlers. Hypnagogic hallucinations are vivid dreamlike experiences that are difficult to distinguish from reality. Unlike cataplexy, touching the person usually causes the paralysis to disappear. It is the feeling of being unable to move or speak, even though totally aware of the surroundings. Sleep paralysis occurs upon waking up or falling asleep. Sleep paralysis also causes a brief loss of muscle control. In some individuals, attacks can be caused by simply remembering or anticipating an emotional or anxiety-producing situation. Cataplexy is triggered by stress or a strong emotion such as laughter, anger or surprise. A person having such an attack is fully awake and knows what is happening. Cataplexy may be mild (such as a brief feeling of weakness in the knees) or it may cause complete physical collapse, resulting in a fall. Attacks of cataplexy are sudden, brief losses of muscle control. CataplexyĬataplexy is sometimes the first symptom of narcolepsy, but usually it develops several years after EDS. People with narcolepsy may also have a "sleep attack" at a very unusual and sometimes dangerous time (while in the middle of a conversation or driving a car). They tend to fall asleep not only in situations in which many normal people feel sleepy (after meals or during a dull lecture), but also when most people would remain awake (while watching a movie or writing a letter). People with narcolepsy often report feeling easily tired or tired all the time. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)ĮDS is usually the first symptom of narcolepsy. In some cases, excessive daytime sleepiness is the only symptom. The four most common symptoms are: excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. Narcolepsy symptoms can appear all at once or they can develop slowly over many years. Some researchers have suggested that a set of genes combines with additional unknown factors in a person's life to cause narcolepsy. Narcolepsy often runs in families, but many people with narcolepsy do not have relatives who are affected. Narcolepsy is not caused by psychiatric or psychological problems. In narcolepsy the lack of muscle tone and the dream experiences occur at inappropriate times. Cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations are similar to the loss of muscle tone that accompanies normal dreaming in a stage of sleep called REM. However, narcolepsy appears to be a disorder of the part of the central nervous system that controls sleep and wakefulness. What causes narcolepsy? Although narcolepsy has been thoroughly studied, the exact cause is not known. Although no "cure" for narcolepsy has been found, most children with narcolepsy can lead nearly normal lives if properly treated. While narcolepsy is relatively uncommon, its impact on a child's life can be dramatic and, if not recognized, disabling. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness and, in some cases, "sleep attacks." These "attacks" cause people with narcolepsy to fall asleep at very unusual and sometimes dangerous times (while in the middle of a conversation or driving a car).
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