Narcolepsy is a neurological condition most characterized by Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS), in which a person falls asleep during the day at inappropriate times, such as at work or school.
A narcoleptic will most probably experience disturbed nocturnal sleep, which is often confused with insomnia, and disorder of REM or rapid eye movement sleep.
A narcoleptic may also fall asleep at random.
Characteristics
The main characteristic of narcolepsy is excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), even after adequate night time sleep.
A person with narcolepsy is likely to become drowsy or fall asleep, often at inappropriate times and places.
Daytime naps may occur without warning and may be physically irresistible.
These naps can occur several times a day.
They are typically refreshing, but only for a few hours.
Drowsiness may persist for prolonged periods of time.
In addition, night time sleep may be fragmented with frequent awakenings.
Sleep paralysis is the temporary inability to talk or move when waking (or less often, falling asleep).
It may last a few seconds to minutes.
This is often frightening but is not dangerous.
Hypnagogic hallucinations are vivid, often frightening, dreamlike experiences that occur while dozing, falling asleep and/or while awakening.
(I have had this experience several times, and it is indeed frightening. Sometimes, it makes mewonder if it's a medical condition, or some supernatural forces acting on me.)
In narcolepsy, the order and length of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) periods are disturbed, with REM sleep occurring at sleep onset instead of after a period of NREM sleep.
Thus, narcolepsy is a disorder in which REM sleep appears at an abnormal time.
Also, some of the aspects of REM sleep that normally occur only during sleep — lack of muscular control, sleep paralysis, and vivid dreams — occur at other times in people with narcolepsy.
For example, the lack of muscular control can occur during wakefulness in a cataplexy episode; it is said that there is intrusion of REM atonia during wakefulness.
Sleep paralysis and vivid dreams can occur while falling asleep or waking up.
Simply put, the brain does not pass through the normal stages of dozing and deep sleep but goes directly into (and out of) rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
This has several consequences. Night time sleep does not include as much deep sleep, so the brain tries to "catch up" during the day, hence EDS.
People with narcolepsy may visibly fall asleep at unpredicted moments (such motions as head bobbing are common).
People with narcolepsy fall quickly into what appears to be very deep sleep, and they wake up suddenly and can be disoriented when they do (dizziness is a common occurrence).
They have very vivid dreams, which they often remember in great detail.
People with narcolepsy may dream even when they only fall asleep for a few seconds.
(So there my former 'dear' superiors in the 'Force', i wasn't lazy or what. It is my condition!)
Misconceptions
Narcolepsy is often mistaken for depression, epilepsy, or the side effects of medications.
It can also be mistaken for poor sleeping habits, recreational drug use, or laziness.
Narcolepsy can occur in both men and women at any age, although its symptoms are usually first noticed in teenagers or young adults.
(Hopefully, more people can get educated on this uncurable condition and spare a thought for us victims out there. It is really not easy trying to handle this condition with the constant misunderstanding, jokes and jibes, from the public. I always have to tell myself not to bother with these ignorant fools. Haiz)
A narcoleptic will most probably experience disturbed nocturnal sleep, which is often confused with insomnia, and disorder of REM or rapid eye movement sleep.
A narcoleptic may also fall asleep at random.
Characteristics
The main characteristic of narcolepsy is excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), even after adequate night time sleep.
A person with narcolepsy is likely to become drowsy or fall asleep, often at inappropriate times and places.
Daytime naps may occur without warning and may be physically irresistible.
These naps can occur several times a day.
They are typically refreshing, but only for a few hours.
Drowsiness may persist for prolonged periods of time.
In addition, night time sleep may be fragmented with frequent awakenings.
Sleep paralysis is the temporary inability to talk or move when waking (or less often, falling asleep).
It may last a few seconds to minutes.
This is often frightening but is not dangerous.
Hypnagogic hallucinations are vivid, often frightening, dreamlike experiences that occur while dozing, falling asleep and/or while awakening.
(I have had this experience several times, and it is indeed frightening. Sometimes, it makes mewonder if it's a medical condition, or some supernatural forces acting on me.)
In narcolepsy, the order and length of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) periods are disturbed, with REM sleep occurring at sleep onset instead of after a period of NREM sleep.
Thus, narcolepsy is a disorder in which REM sleep appears at an abnormal time.
Also, some of the aspects of REM sleep that normally occur only during sleep — lack of muscular control, sleep paralysis, and vivid dreams — occur at other times in people with narcolepsy.
For example, the lack of muscular control can occur during wakefulness in a cataplexy episode; it is said that there is intrusion of REM atonia during wakefulness.
Sleep paralysis and vivid dreams can occur while falling asleep or waking up.
Simply put, the brain does not pass through the normal stages of dozing and deep sleep but goes directly into (and out of) rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
This has several consequences. Night time sleep does not include as much deep sleep, so the brain tries to "catch up" during the day, hence EDS.
People with narcolepsy may visibly fall asleep at unpredicted moments (such motions as head bobbing are common).
People with narcolepsy fall quickly into what appears to be very deep sleep, and they wake up suddenly and can be disoriented when they do (dizziness is a common occurrence).
They have very vivid dreams, which they often remember in great detail.
People with narcolepsy may dream even when they only fall asleep for a few seconds.
(So there my former 'dear' superiors in the 'Force', i wasn't lazy or what. It is my condition!)
Misconceptions
Narcolepsy is often mistaken for depression, epilepsy, or the side effects of medications.
It can also be mistaken for poor sleeping habits, recreational drug use, or laziness.
Narcolepsy can occur in both men and women at any age, although its symptoms are usually first noticed in teenagers or young adults.
(Hopefully, more people can get educated on this uncurable condition and spare a thought for us victims out there. It is really not easy trying to handle this condition with the constant misunderstanding, jokes and jibes, from the public. I always have to tell myself not to bother with these ignorant fools. Haiz)
(abstracted from Wikipedia)
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