Causes of Narcolepsy

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a health conditions wherein a person feels sleepy throughout the day. Sleep disorders can result from any of three basic reasons. These are:

Insufficient or poor sleep: An ideal example of this is the people suffering from sleep apnea. This problem can be sorted out if the patient’s sleep-related breathing issues are taken care of.
Weakened Brain System: This is also one of the reasons that can keep any person awake. A perfect example of this is Narcolepsy. In this situation, an individual feels very sleepy throughout the day even after having a good sleep at night.
A mixed condition: The condition of Narcolepsy usually develops in a person in his or her earlier childhood or teen years and eventually, with growing age and weight, it takes the form of sleep apnea, adding to the existing problems of the condition.

It is important to note that if a person is suffering from both the critical conditions and the treatment is applied on only one such as sleep apnea and not on the other, it can lead to disastrous results.

Treating sleep apnea may improve the health conditions of the patient but cannot eradicate the problem from its root. Cardiac and stroke related dangers can be alleviated but the untreated narcolepsy will make them fall asleep anyway, paving way for other complications. There can be more than one reason and symptom to any kind of sleep disorder. Hence, it’s essential to offer proper and wholesome treatment to the patient.

As mentioned earlier, Narcolepsy causes brain-related sleepiness in a person. In addition, it is also associated with REM sleep disorders. REM or Rapid Eye Movement sleep disorder in a person occurs immediately after he or she falls asleep. This disorder can be caused by hypnopompic hallucinations and hypnagogic. The hypnopompic hallucinations and hypnagogic is the occurrence of the fragments of dreams before or after the sleep. Another cause of REM sleep can be sleep paralysis or a situation where a person finds himself or herself unable to call out or even move his or her body while sleeping or waking up. Cataplexy as well as dreaming during short sleep can also cause REM sleep disorders. Cataplexy is a medical condition under which the patient feels weakness in his muscles due to any kind of emotional impact, such as laughter. Patients suffering from cataplexy typically always also have Narcolepsy, but patients having Narcolepsy might not always experience cataplexy.

Who can suffer From Narcolepsy?

Both males and females can suffer from Narcolepsy. The main symptom of this disease is sleepiness, which usually takes place in latter part of the childhood, teen years or beginning of 20s. Narcolepsy can also develop in the individuals who are 30 years of age, but, this is very rare.

Symptoms of Narcolepsy

The symptoms of narcolepsy are falling asleep at a frequent rate, hyperactive behavioural pattern, and even other conditions such as Cataplexy.

Causes of Narcolepsy:

This disease is caused if the chemical “neurotransmitters” is found to be missing in the brain cells. Neurotransmitters controls and supervises the communication link between different brain cells and nerve.

Some members in a family can be genetically prone to developing Narcolepsy. However, this is not considered to be a purely genetic ailment in people. Narcolepsy may sometime result from excessive stress, but, as with the instances of genetic causes, this is not strictly a psychological disorder.

How to diagnose Narcolepsy

In order to diagnose Narcolepsy, some careful steps need to be taken. The patient’s history should be carefully observed. His or her sleeping habits should be closely monitored, and a multiple sleep latency test should be conducted. Other than this, the cataplexy disorder should also be taken into consideration.

Is a Narcolepsy blood test helpful?

Narcolepsy cannot be conclusively diagnosed by blood test. However, there are some medical practitioners that believe that blood test can help diagnose this medical condition in a patient. They think that individuals suffering from Narcolepsy have specific HLA types. HLA types are genetically ascertained signs on white blood cells that help in finding out tissue compatibility-for instance, to check an individual’s willingness to donate a kidney to the one whose system may not accept the kidney that has been transplanted. HLA types are determined by a blood test. However, these tests cannot be used for diagnosing narcolepsy because of two reasons: 1) the test will be in negative for the patients who are suffering from narcolepsy as well as cataplexy, and 2) about 25% of the people have same HLA types that are related to Narcolepsy.

How to cure Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy can be treated if proper medication as well as a bit of common sense is applied. A Narcoleptic patient cannot be treated solely on the basis of medication. The treatment should be designed according to each individual case in concern. In this process, it is important to remove all the aggravating elements that can cause the symptoms to grow more serious, and cause the suggested medications to become less useful.

To elucidate it further, the practitioner cannot recommend a diabetic to do anything whatever he or she feels like because insulin shots are being given. Prescribing medication also means that the patient should be given a proper diet chart and counselled as and when required. This is applicable in case of all types of ailments including Narcolepsy.

Also, the medical practitioner who is treating the individual with Narcolepsy symptoms should possess experience and expertise in handling these types of cases. Physicians should inform the patient about the things or conditions that can pose further risks to his or her health. Not only this, it’s the duty of the practitioner to educate his patient about the ways to handle this disorder with a positive attitude.

Some of the medications that can be prescribed to a Narcoleptic patient are sodium oxybate (Xyrem) and antidepressants. Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) taken at night. All these are stimulating agents. Since these medications may contain some side-effects, physician should prescribe them with utmost care to any individual based on his or her medical records, symptoms, and more.

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that disrupts the lives an estimated three million people throughout the world. This can be a dangerous disease for those who suffer from this illness, as well as those around them, as people with narcolepsy cause accidents inadvertently, by falling asleep at the most inopportune of moments. Scientists have hypothesized on the exact causes of narcolepsy, but ultimately the root cause of narcolepsy remains a mystery that is still being studied.

This leaves the question: What causes narcolepsy?

It is widely believed by doctors of neurology and scientists that narcolepsy is caused by several different factors. One of which is genetics, although this has never been proven, as narcolepsy is rare among relatives. Another theory, which is more solid than the genetics theory, is environmental factors combined with emotional stimuli. This is especially true when looking at narcolepsy with cataplexy. The following is a list of factors that are known triggers for cataplectic attacks:

Laughter
Anger
Hysterical laughter (More severe than laughter alone.)
Stressful situations
Poor sleep habits (Not having scheduled nap times or having insomnia.)
Poor diet

Another extremely common occurrence is that narcolepsy is misdiagnosed or left completely undiagnosed. E.D.S. or excessive daytime sleepiness is usually the most common symptom a person with narcolepsy suffers, so it is often ignored or thought of as some other problem. In fact, the only truly unique symptom in narcoleptic patients is cataplexy. Cataplexy is the sudden loss of muscle control, which can cause falls and serious injury. This often takes years to diagnose correctly and is often misdiagnosed as epilepsy and depression.

Effects of Narcolepsy on a Person’s Life

Narcolepsy, especially when left untreated or misdiagnosed, can have dire consequences on a person’s life. Ridicule and embarrassment, as well as the risk of injury due to accidents, both to self and others, can weigh heavy on the mind of a person suffering from this ailment. Although it is not thought of as a mental disorder in and of itself, narcolepsy can lead to severe depression in those struggling with its symptoms.

Dangerous activities include:

Driving and operating machinery
Working a general labor job
Cooking and food preparation
All forms of sports and exercise

Other aspects of a person’s life than can become disrupted are:

Social and professional relationships
Mental health due to anxiety and depression
Personal relationships, such as marriage, can suffer due to lowered sex drive
Memory and attention may suffer due to sudden sleep attacks

Diagnosing Narcolepsy Correctly

People that suspect that they may have narcolepsy should keep a journal and write down all narcolepsy symptoms they experience such as daytime sleep attacks. When making a doctor visit, this journal should be taken and given to the doctor. This information, combined with the extensive testing and the questionnaire provided by doctors, can give a person years of happiness that they would otherwise miss due to the symptoms of narcolepsy.

The tests performed to help diagnose narcolepsy are as follows:

E.S.S. or Epworth Sleepiness Scale. This is a questionnaire designed to pin point the symptoms of narcolepsy.
Nocturnal Polysomnogram. This is a study that is done overnight to measure the electrical activity of a person’s brain and heart, as well as the movement of the muscles and the eyes.
M.S.L.T. or Multiple Sleep Latency Test. This test helps to measure the time it takes a person to fall asleep during the day.
Spinal Fluid Analysis. This is a newer test that is done to help diagnose narcolepsy, in which the cerebrospinal fluid is tested for the chemical hypocretin. A lack of this chemical is a red flag for narcolepsy.

What is the Cause of Narcolepsy?

Scientists discovered, after years of research, that patients with narcolepsy have one common factor. They all lack a chemical that is found in the brain called hypocretin. Hypocretin sometimes called orexin, controls a person’s sleeping and waking functions. Without it people fall asleep when they should be fully awake. The neurons that secrete hypocretin are found in lower quantities in narcolepsy patients, which cause the lack of this important chemical.

Self Help Treatment of Narcolepsy

There are many ways a person suffering from narcolepsy can keep sleep attacks to a minimum. First, scheduling naps throughout the day can help one to have control on when he or she falls asleep. Next, the avoidance of drugs, alcohol and caffeine is important, as these can interfere with sleep when it’s needed. It should also be mentioned that some over the counter medications should be avoided, due to the drowsiness they can cause. Another good self-help idea is for a person to involve everyone he or she knows. Telling employers, co-workers, friends and family about this medical situation can save one from much ridicule and embarrassment. Finally, and most importantly, a person who suffers from narcolepsy should always wear a medical bracelet or necklace to alert everyone in case a situation may arise.

Medications, Diagnosis and Treatment

Common medications used to treat this condition include sodium oxybate, antidepressants and stimulants. First, sodium oxybate is a strong drug used in the treatment of patients with cataplexy. Commonly referred to as “the date rape drug”, sodium oxybate is considered safe when used as prescribed to treat narcolepsy, as it reduces sleep attacks and cataplexy, while helping the patient gain needful sleep. Next, antidepressants are used to help lessen the effects of cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hallucinations. Fluoxetine (Prozac) and Sertraline (Zoloft) are the two most commonly used antidepressants used to help treat narcolepsy. Finally, there is the ever popular mainstay of the medical fight against narcolepsy, stimulants. Stimulants increase a narcoleptic person’s awareness and wakefulness. It should be noted that people with a history of psychiatric issues should avoid taking stimulants, due to the increased risk of suicidal thoughts, mania, hallucinations and anxiety.

Medical researchers have been trying to formulate a drug to synthesize hypocretin in a clinical setting. This could help people with a diagnosis of narcolepsy to have less sleep attacks. Combined with an effort to change lifestyles and sleep habits, this synthetic hypocretin drug could in fact wipe out narcolepsy and its causes.

Narcolepsy Blood Test & Other Useful Facts