Modafinil or armodafinil promote wakefulness and alertness. Treatments can help with the symptoms, but there’s currently no cure. The fluid (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF) is obtained through a spinal tap. The doctor can also test your spinal fluid for the presence of hypocretin. Falling into REM within 15 minutes in at least two of the five naps is a marker for narcolepsy. Unlike during a sleep study, where you’re asked to sleep normally through the night, in an MSLT you’re asked to take short naps a couple of hours apart (4 to 5 times) during the day. An MSLT measures how quickly you can fall asleep during the day and enter a REM cycle. Have a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT).People with narcolepsy may enter REM sleep in less than 15 minutes. The doctor will monitor your breathing, brain, and muscle activity as well as your REM sleep patterns to rule out other conditions like sleep apnea or movement disorders. Also called a polysomnography (PSG), a sleep study is usually performed in a lab setting. It’s important to note cataplexy because it’s a specific symptom of narcolepsy. The doctor may ask you to keep a log of daytime and nighttime sleep. From there, you may be asked to do the following: Eventually the symptoms are stable over many years.Īt your appointment, a doctor will ask about your your sleep symptoms, medical history or family history. Symptoms may start out mild but become more noticeable with age. Researchers suggest that symptoms may start between the ages of 7 and 25 on average. It may take up to 10 years after symptoms appear to get a confirmed diagnosis of narcolepsy. Other possible triggers may include psychological stress and certain infections. This may also be the case if you have a brain tumor or other issue. After an injury, the part of the brain that regulates REM sleep may not function normally. In rare cases, a brain injury may lead to narcolepsy. That said, most cases of narcolepsy are “sporadic” (occurring at random). If other people in your family have narcolepsy, there’s a higher chance you may, too. This may affect how much hypocretin your body produces. If you have an autoimmune disorder, your immune system may attack healthy parts of your body (cells, tissues, etc.). People who have narcolepsy without cataplexy generally have normal levels. People who have narcolepsy with cataplexy may have very low levels of this chemical. Researchers continue to work on learning the cause of narcolepsy.Ĭurrently, many researchers believe that the following causes are possible: For example, a person may have excessive daytime sleepiness if they’ve had a head injury or are taking certain medications.Ĭataplexy may also sometimes be confused with drop attacks or seizures from epilepsy. The symptoms of narcolepsy can overlap with other conditions. They may also put things in drawers where they don’t belong and write illegibly. If sleep episodes are very brief, people may continue doing habitual activities, such as brushing teeth or driving. They may experience vivid dreams, sleep apnea, insomnia, or movements while sleeping, such as acting out and leg movements. People with narcolepsy may also have trouble falling and staying asleep at night. It’s often triggered by strong emotions (laughter, anger, fear, excitement, etc.). Unlike sleep paralysis, cataplexy happens when a person is fully awake. This may be subtle, with the loss of some of the muscle tone in the the face or hand, or it may affect many muscle groups and result in the person falling to the ground. This symptom, which not all people with narcolepsy experience, involves a sudden loss of muscle tone. Usually, hallucinations are visual, but they may also involve touch, smell, and other senses. Some people may experience vivid and sometimes disturbing dream-like images either when falling asleep or waking up. Some people with narcolepsy have this symptom frequently, some not at all. As a person awakens from REM sleep, there may be a few seconds to minutes when they’re unable to speak or move their body. People with narcolepsy may quickly slip into REM sleep cycles even during the day. REM is a state of sleep during which the eyes move rapidly. People may also experience sleep attacks. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is the kind of sleepiness that causes someone to fall asleep frequently when they don’t want to - at the wrong time and place. If you suspect you have narcolepsy, you may experience the following symptoms: Do you nod off at random points throughout the day? Do you also have trouble sleeping through the night?
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