Causes of Narcolepsy, Symptoms and Treatments

If you feel worn out throughout the day and find yourself dozing off unexpectedly in the middle of what you are doing, you could be suffering from narcolepsy. It is a troubling and serous medical condition. It is not related to poor sleeping habits nor is it due to sloth. It is also dangerous for the individual.

This condition usually shows up between the ages of 10 and 25. It will rarely affect those who are over the age of 40.

Extreme tiredness and falling asleep during the day, no matter how much sleep you get at night, are the most noticeable symptoms of this condition. People who suffer from narcolepsy have difficulty focusing on daily tasks due to a constant feeling of being tired. Such an illness is difficult to cope with, but it is even scarier when one considers the fact that the individual might sleep suddenly in the midst of operating machinery or activities that need full concentration.

This can be very serious and dangerous because it happens with no prior warning. The person has no time to stop doing what they are doing to get prepared. It is almost impossible for the individual to move away from a dangerous predicament or even consider finding a place for them to lie down. It can occur at any instant and so it is life-threatening if you are engaged in activities such as driving or operating heavy machinery.

During these attacks, a person might sleep for just a few minutes or up to a half hour. Such occurrences can happen a few times within a day. There is often certain automatic responses that go along with this condition, such as continuing to perform the task they were working on before they fell asleep. Many people do not remember this behavior after waking up from and episode.

Around 75% of narcolepsy sufferers also experience another symptom called cataplexy. This condition involves an inability to control muscles. The individual can experience difficulty in articulation or even lose ability to control muscles. Some will experience this symptom more often than others. Some report rare instances, while others experience it every day. There seems to be some association between this condition and a sudden change in emotions, such as excessive laughing or becoming angry.

Narcolepsy can also show up in the form of paralysis, such as can be seen during REM sleep. The difference is that the paralysis, in this case, takes place either when the person is first falling asleep or just waking up. The frightening thing is that the person is often fully aware of what is happening and can do nothing about it.

Another symptom of narcolepsy is hypnagogic hallucinations. The individual experiences very real images when he is in a state of half-consciousness. 25% to 50% of those with this condition tend to have such symptoms.

There is still much to learn about what actually causes narcolepsy, but it is believed that genetics plays a role. Having low amounts of a chemical called hypocretin, which is needed to awaken sleep, can be a possible reason.