Narcolepsy Fact Sheet

Narcolepsy Facts- Symptoms, Treatments and Lifestyle changes

When people think of a person having narcolepsy, they frequently envision a person that falls asleep in a funny way. For example, some may think it is funny for a person living with the symptoms of narcolepsy to fall asleep while he or she is eating a bowl of soup. Although the cartoon like image may be entertaining, in reality it’s no laughing matter. Narcolepsy facts and information shows that a person can actually die from accidents that occur during these uncontrollable sleeping episodes. Information and facts on narcolepsy are readily available to anyone who wishes to learn more about this neurological sleep disorder. Knowing the facts about narcolepsy, even if you do not suffer with the symptoms, can possibly help someone who does.

The Facts and Information about Narcolepsy

About three million people around the world have narcolepsy.
There is no cure for narcolepsy, but there are treatments.
The aspects of narcolepsy can be dangerous if left untreated.
People with narcolepsy can’t control the episodes when they happen.

These four pieces of narcolepsy information are the beginning to helping people understand about this ailment. With this in mind, the four symptoms of narcolepsy that are suffered by the people living with this sleep sickness should be easier to understand. Note that it is extremely rare for one person to have all four of the following symptoms.

E.D.S. is excessive daytime sleepiness. This is the symptom that defines narcolepsy itself. This means a person can or will inadvertently fall asleep during times when they really need to stay awake.
Cataplexy is likely to be the most dangerous of the symptoms. People with cataplexy experience a sudden lack of muscle tone. This results in falls, accidents, and injuries that can occur to both the person with cataplexy and those in the immediate area.
Sleep paralysis is a symptom that isn’t like the others, because it can be an illness by itself without a person having narcolepsy. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain disconnects from the body, leaving the person aware, but unable to react physically or verbally. It is experience while falling asleep or waking up. Hallucinations can happen during the time period of a sleep paralysis attack.
Hallucinations are a very common symptom found in people with sleep paralysis. Hallucinations are surreal occurrences that have people hearing and seeing things that are not really there. Although it’s not unheard of for a narcolepsy patient without sleep paralysis to have hallucinations, it doesn’t occur as often.

Information about Narcolepsy Medications

Although there is no known cure for narcolepsy in and of itself, there are medications to treat the symptoms. The types of medications are stimulants, antidepressants and sodium oxybate, which each have a variety of names and brands. Having a closer look at each type of medication can help a person to understand how each one works.

Stimulants are used to treat E.D.S. They serve to help the central nervous system, which in turn helps the narcolepsy patient stay awake and alert, thus making them able to function as needed in school or work. Common stimulants prescribed to narcolepsy patients include Provigil and Nuvigil.
Antidepressants are used in the treatment of patients with cataplexy and in worse cases, hallucinations. Antidepressants are usually combined with stimulants to achieve the desired effect. Common antidepressants prescribed to narcolepsy patients include Prozac and Zoloft, and the generics for these two, being Fluoxetine and Sertraline.
Sodium oxybate is a liquid that must be taken in small doses over a period of three or four hours. This drug helps to produce intense sleep and is used in the treatment of sleep paralysis, cataplexy and hallucinations. The best known type of sodium oxybate prescribed to narcolepsy patients is Xyrem.

There are older drugs known as tricyclic antidepressants, which were said to work wonders for narcolepsy patients with cataplexy, but due to the long list of side effect caused by these drugs, they are not commonly prescribed.

Other Facts on Narcolepsy Treatments

Narcolepsy patients often need more than just medication to help solve the sudden sleep attack issues that interfere with their everyday lives. These factors are commonly called lifestyle changes or therapy, in which the patient must strive to change habits for the betterment of his or her life. These changes can be separated into a list of “DO’s” and a list “DON’T’s”.

Non-Medical Narcolepsy Fact Sheet

Do’s

Know the symptoms of narcolepsy and its aspects
Eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet
Have a scheduled bedtime and stick to it
Take prescribed medications according to schedule
Schedule daytime naps to lower chances of sleep attacks
Involve friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members, make them all aware
Wear a medical tag or bracelet that tells people of this condition
Keep a journal or diary at all times to record any accidental sleep attacks or muscle weakness
Stay confident in the treatment and medication
Get counseling on narcolepsy.

Don’ts

Do not use over the counter medications that have drowsiness as a side effect.
Do not eat foods high in fat, sugar, or caffeine.
Do not use illegal drugs, alcohol, or nicotine products.
Do not work third shift jobs.
Do not be embarrassed or afraid to let people know about your condition.

These lifestyle changes can be easily accomplished by anyone willing to try. These changes will help a person that has to live with the symptoms of narcolepsy to reach the goals he or she sets in life, whether it’s work or personal. As with any condition that may have serious aspects, getting the right counseling can greatly increase a person’s knowledge, as well as giving them a positive outlook or perspective on the matter.

Keeping up with the narcolepsy medications prescribed by doctors and combining these with the changes one has to make in their life will like ensuring adequate nighttime sleep, ease the symptomatic burdens of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders. There is no cure, but no one has to live with this illness being untreated. Keep the physicians notified of any symptom changes that may occur and keep employers and friends, as well as family members informed on this condition.

Narcolepsy Facts, an Overview

Most people have some idea what Narcolepsy is- they’ve seen a movie, or a funny cartoon with a caricature of a narcoleptic. These sleep sufferers are often depicted as clumsy, unintelligent, or unreliable. Unfortunately, this poor stereotypical depiction of Narcolepsy patients is just about the only public exposure most everyday Americans get to the mysterious disorder.

Although Narcolepsy is often laughed at in movies or in public, few people actually understand the disorder. Outside of narcoleptic patients, and the circle of people in their lives, not much attention is paid to sleeping disorders growing up. Most people are so ready to laugh at someone else because they are a little different, and as a result, they miss the chance to gain some insight and become educated on a new lifestyle.

Important Facts about Narcolepsy

Like many other sleeping disorders, Narcolepsy is not as rare as most people think; it’s just not a subject publicly discussed on a regular basis.

Narcolepsy is a life-long sleeping disorder that is currently affecting 1 out of every 2000 people in the United States.
Worldwide, Narcolepsy affects about three million adults.
People who suffer from Narcolepsy have a very hard time maintaining wakefulness, and they often feel groggy or moody in the middle of the day. This is especially common during activities that cause that patient to experience a heightened emotional response.
Two percent of narcoleptics worldwide experience a dangerous, rare complication of Narcolepsy, Cataplexy. Patients with Cataplexy experience a total loss of muscle tone and control suddenly, often in the middle of dangerous activities. Cataplexy events are usually triggered by the patient’s exposure to strong emotional responses. Patients with Narcolepsy and Cataplexy experience attacks that are often triggered by one of the following emotional responses:

Laughing
Crying
Yelling
Fighting
Screaming

Most people who suffer from Narcolepsy will go their entire lives without a proper medical diagnosis. Of the 200,000 Americans that are thought to have Narcolepsy, less than 50,000 of them have ever been diagnosed as a result of lacking Narcolepsy information.
Narcolepsy is commonly misdiagnosed as Depression or Insomnia because the abnormal sleep patterns that are associated with Narcolepsy often cause symptoms mimicking the other two.
When patients with Narcolepsy fall asleep, they enter the deepest stage of sleep, the REM stage, within the first ten minutes of sleep. Normal sleepers don’t enter the REM stage for at least ninety minutes.

Narcolepsy Facts and Information Regarding Age, Race and Gender

The first signs of Narcolepsy usually manifest themselves in patients during their teenage or adolescent years.
Males and females are equally likely to develop Narcolepsy.
The severity of each patient’s individual Narcolepsy case is unique to them; severity varies from person to person.
There is no cure for Narcolepsy; the disorder’s symptoms and complications can, however, be managed and treated.
Children suffering from Narcolepsy, especially when coupled with Cataplexy, have a high risk for learning disabilities, hyperactivity disorders, and potentially problems growing.

Information about Narcolepsy and Lifestyle

Adults who suffer from Narcolepsy are ten times more likely to get into an automobile accident than drivers who are non-narcoplectics.
Many narcoleptics engage in Automatic Behavior. The patient continues to perform whatever physical activity that was taking place the moment the suddenly fell asleep. Patients who experience automatic behavior participate completely in the physical activity as if they were fully aware of the event, but upon wakening, they have no memory of falling asleep or participating in the activity. At least 30% of patients with Narcolepsy suffer from Automatic Behavioral conditions.
Working a third shift (AKA night shift or graveyard shift) job can heighten your risk of developing Narcolepsy. At the very least, it will add to your already high levels of daytime sleepiness.
Short naps throughout the day can help Narcolepsy patients cope with their fatigue. Napping too much, however, will have the opposite affect. Be responsible; take two or three naps a day lasting no longer than ten to fifteen minutes.

Facts and Information about Narcolepsy and Genetics

The development of Narcolepsy is one of the hardest events to predict in patients. There are very few facts that provide concrete information. Scientific research is currently trying to verify the location of a gene that may directly affect the development of Narcolepsy, but more testing is needed.

Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder that comes in two forms, sporadic and genetic. Because the disorder can be caused by breeding, and because it can randomly show up, it can be difficult to predict whether or not you will develop the disorder.
There is no underlying psychological, emotional, or metal cause for Narcolepsy development. The disorder is purely neurological; it’s a problem with the brain, not the mind.
Around eight to ten percent of all Narcolepsy patients have an immediate relative who also suffer from the disorder.
Although genetics may be a cause of Narcolepsy, scientists doubt that a single problem could stem such a complex neurological disorder.

Interesting Information and Facts on Narcolepsy

Human beings are not the only species to exhibit the signs and symptoms of Narcolepsy and Cataplexy. The symptoms of the neurological sleep disorder have also been observed in various animals, including dogs and horses.
The first written documentation describing the disorder now called Narcolepsy was written by Jean-Babtiste Edouard Gelineau, a French physician, it the 1880s. In fact he coined the French term “narcolepsie” from which the current medical name is derived.
Harriet Tubman, Winston Churchill, Jimmy Kimmel, and many other celebrities are narcoleptic.
Although it is less well-known, Narcolepsy is just as common as M.S. (Multiple Sclerosis) or Parkinson’s disease. In fact Narcolepsy is more common than Cystic Fibrosis, but there is more Cystic Fibrosis awareness.
Basic Narcolepsy fact sheets are available online.

If you, or anyone close to your heart, may be exhibiting the signs and symptoms of Narcolepsy, seek medical assistance. Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed of your disorder. Remember, it’s a neurological malfunction and you can’t change it. The more educated the public becomes on Narcolepsy the easier it will be for narcoleptic patients to feel comfortable.