Narcolepsy is a brain’s dysfunction, it s a serious neurological disorder that affects sleep and wake cycles. Typically, a person with narcolepsy has an irresistible urge to sleep. Due to narcolepsy if a person takes a nap the sleep during the nap can last anywhere from 10 minutes to one and a half hour or more. Check yourself, if something similar happens to you sometimes – at 1 pm you are sitting down to have lunch at the kitchen counter….next scene, you wake up suddenly with your head still on the table and your watch says its 2:30pm. Who scheduled this? This was definitely not in plan for the day. This is one of the many facts of narcolepsy.
10 Narcolepsy Facts You Should Know About
- Excessive daytime sleepiness- You feel a very strong urge to sleep and can sleep anywhere even if you sit only for 2 minutes ideal.
- Cataplexy – You suddenly lose the ability to sit or stand due to sudden loss of muscle tone. It may happen to some people only ones or twice in a year while few others several times a day.
- Sleep Paralysis – It’s an inability to speak or move while you wake up or falling asleep. This is by far most horrible fact of narcolepsy when you are aware of everything around but you are unable to talk or open your eyes.
- Hallucinations – Narcolepsy makes you fall asleep very quickly and during the sleep gives your mind an impression that dreams are real and vivid. People even call their friends and family the next morning to confirm if everything is okay with them.
Also Read: Why Am I Always Tired?
- Genetic – A few scientists believe that narcolepsy is genetic. It is possible that you are the only person diagnosed with narcolepsy but there is surely a family history behind.
- Narcolepsy affects both men and women equally and the symptoms do not come obvious until you grow up to the age of 14 or 15.
- Narcolepsy is commonly misdiagnosed and many a times it remains undiagnosed for more than 10 to 15 years.
- Disrupted nighttime sleep – People with narcolepsy may feel sleepy during the day but they have to fight for the same during the night.
- Another very interesting narcolepsy fact is, 90% of primary care doctors and 55% of sleep specialists are not good at diagnosing narcolepsy and as a result, many a patients remain undiagnosed entire their life.
- Strange but true that there is no permanent cure for narcolepsy; however, its symptoms can be eased with regular medication.
21st century is a medically advanced age. There is a treatment for cancer and doctors are always on verge to release all new medical breakthroughs. Yet even with all the advanced medical researches and knowledge in the field there are aliments we know a very little about. Narcolepsy is one of those medical conditions. It is a serious issue and medical experts suggest you to take it very seriously. Please help spread words about narcolepsy and share the narcolepsy facts with your friends and family.
