What is Narcolepsy - Meaning, Types, Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that is related to the sleeping cycle. In this particular disorder, people may face problems with sleeping and waking. As a result, the affected people may fall asleep anytime and feel sleepy throughout the day.

Do you want to know what narcolepsy is? Then, keep scrolling to know more.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder with features like excessive day drowsiness, a tendency to suddenly sleep, etc. People with narcolepsy face difficulties staying awake for a longer period of time. Narcolepsy can be sudden, with just an attack of intense emotion that weakens the muscles.

There are mainly two types of narcolepsy which are discussed below.

1. Type 1 Narcolepsy

Type 1 narcolepsy is a very common one which is caused due to a sudden effect on muscles and reflects symptoms such as cataplexy. In this type of narcolepsy, the brain gets weakened due to protein deficiency. People affected by Type 1 narcolepsy face sleepiness in the daytime.

2. Type 2 Narcolepsy

Type 2 narcolepsy is also responsible for sleepiness in the daytime; however, patients of this type do not face any muscle weakness. In this disease, affected people face comparatively low severe symptoms.

There are different symptoms of narcolepsy. Some of them can adversely affect your daily work cycle. These symptoms are as follows -

• Excessive Sleepiness During Daytime: This is the most obvious symptom of narcolepsy. No matter how much you sleep at night,  you may face fatigue during the day. Therefore, it is not about sleeping for a substantial time; instead, it is more like sudden attacks of sleep.
• Hallucination: Hallucination is a very harmful symptom of narcolepsy. People who hallucinate see visions which can be horrifying to them. Therefore, it affects people mentally and emotionally. Further, frequent hallucinations can hamper your daily life schedule. Hallucination can come both while you are sleeping or when you are awake.
• Sleep Paralysis: Sleep paralysis is a sudden and temporary type of paralysis during sleep. It is characterised by severe muscle weakness and inability to wake up. The effect of sleep paralysis remains for a few seconds or a few minutes. However, in an extreme situation, sleep paralysis can cause breathing trouble and unnecessary pressure on the mind.
• Automatic Behaviour: Narcolepsy causes excessive actions during sleep. That means people with narcolepsy do different activities, such as eating or talking in sleep, which lasts for a long time. This hampers the normal sleep cycle and causes additional stress.
• Disrupted Sleep: If you face disruption during nighttime sleep, it may be a symptom of narcolepsy. As narcolepsy patients stay sleepy during the whole day, therefore, they get disrupted during nighttime sleep.
• REM Sleep: REM sleep is a stage of slumber where you see dreams and lose your muscle strength. The starting of REM occurs after 90 minutes you fall asleep. Most importantly, narcolepsy can happen anytime and sometimes very soon, like 15 minutes after being asleep.
• Cataplexy: If you face muscle tone loss due to any strong emotion such as fear, stress, anger or surprise, then it is cataplexy. It is a prominent symptom of narcolepsy, where you suffer muscle weakness at any time. The attack can be as minimal as drooping of eyelids or stiffness in knees to a maximum, like whole body collapse. People stay fully awake during this attack, and there is no harm from this.

The significant causes of narcolepsy are as follows -

1. Problems in Immune System

Triggering Factors

There are a number of factors that can trigger narcolepsy. These are as follows -

• Intense psychological pressure
• Hormonal changes
• Changes in the sleep cycle
• Flu and other infections
• Menopause

2. Brain Injuries

Brain injuries can cause traumatic sensations inside the brain and hamper regular sleep cycles. These further increase REM sleep which is a major symptom of narcolepsy. Apart from brain injury, brain tumours and other brain diseases can also trigger the same situation.

3. Hereditary Issues

Though the chances are low, people having a family history of narcolepsy can be affected by it. However, this is still under research.

4. Environmental Toxins

Passive smoking, pesticides, and heavy metals are some environmental toxins that can cause neurological issues. Thus, these toxins can cause narcolepsy in some people.

The potential risk factors of narcolepsy involve -

• People with narcolepsy face problems such as depression and anxiety
• It hampers social life extensively
• Narcolepsy may cause obesity as it slows down the process of metabolism
• It gives trauma to the brain and hampers its functioning
• People with a family history of narcolepsy can be affected by this disease

As you already have ideas about narcolepsy and its prominent symptoms, let’s move to the diagnosis process. The processes that are used to diagnose narcolepsy are as follows -

• PSG or Polysomnography: In this type of diagnosis, you will need to stay a night under medical observation. Experts will use electrodes to measure the heart rhythm, heart rate, eye movement, muscle movement, and breathing pattern.

• Epworth Sleepiness Scale: This is a simple set of question-answering sessions where the doctor will ask you simple questions about your sleeping habits and patterns. Furthermore, respondants have to answer it on a 4-point scale basis.

• Multiple Sleep Latency test: In this test, doctors will monitor how long it takes you to fall asleep in the daytime. Further, in this process, your REM sleep will also be monitored.

• Spinal Tap: Sometimes in adverse situations, doctors may use a spinal tap to collect cerebrospinal fluid. This is necessary because it will help to analyse hypocretin levels in your brain.

Depending on the occurrence of symptoms and their intensity, there are multiple treatments available. These are as follows -

Medications

The medicines that can help with narcolepsy are,

• Modafinil is effective for reducing daytime dizziness. This medicine has lesser side effects and is prescribed in the early stages.
• Sodium oxybate is a helpful medication that is also helpful for reducing daytime sleepiness.
• Amphetamine-like stimulants are a higher dose. However, this drug should be taken carefully as it has potential side effects.
• Antidepressants can be another solution for narcolepsy. In addition, they heal more naturally and have fewer side effects.

Changes in Lifestyle

Lifestyle changes are apparent consequences of narcolepsy drug therapy. These changes are required to get the best out of the treatment. You should adopt the following lifestyle changes that will help in the treatment

• You should take small naps whenever you feel like taking so
• You must avoid caffeine and alcohol before sleeping
• Make room for exercise in your daily schedule
• Try to avoid heavy meals before sleeping
• Try not to smoke before bed
• Relax your muscles and mind before sleeping

The prevention of narcolepsy has the following points,

• Try to recognize the symptoms
• Be very attentive to the changing of sleep pattern
• Talk to someone if you face any unusual complications
• Stay far from pollutants, especially chemical pollutants
• Stick to a healthy daily schedule for effective results