Narcolepsy, a sleep disorder rare

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder is very rare, but fairly well known because of its rather dramatic symptoms. This syndrome, which tends to persist throughout life, affects about three in 10 000. The symptoms of narcolepsy can be terrifying in the beginning and continue to be a source of frustration even after the person it is accustomed, but they never cause serious illness. People with narcolepsy are usually healthy and normal in all other respects. Their natural life expectancy is exactly the same as people without diabetes. No physical abnormality or tissue damage has ever been associated with this disorder, as either cause or consequence.

The probability of narcolepsy is equal for men and women. In general, this condition occurs for the first time in adolescence but can occur at almost any age. Symptoms usually occur one at a time though, among people over twenty years, it is more likely that several symptoms appear simultaneously. Symptoms can change over time in the same person, but no general trend of deterioration or damage has been observed with aging.

The causes of narcolepsy

The cause of narcolepsy remains unknown, but transmission appears to be linked to heredity. Not only has there been a family tendency, but also all those who have been diagnosed with narcolepsy have a few types of tissues.

Most symptoms of narcolepsy appear to occur when the brain suddenly in between state of REM sleep or REM or dream stage (rapid eye movement) during the day. Moreover, some of the symptoms occur when the brain enters a state similar to REM sleep or REM (SP) without loss of consciousness.

REM sleep itself is poorly understood. Most dreams occur during REM sleep, but their significance remains controversial and poorly understood. Sleep always brings a decrease in muscle tone, blood pressure and pulse, but these changes are particularly marked during REM sleep. Normally, in a single night, a person moves from a light sleep (stage 1) to a very deep sleep (stage 4) and returns to stage 3 and between 2 and during dreams or REM sleep four to five times in overnight.

During REM sleep, the person is usually quite still and move only his eyes, eyes still closed. A recording of electrical activity in the brain - an electroencephalogram (EEG) - made during this period reveals a fast activity of low voltage in the whole brain. Researchers have observed this type of plot in almost everyone, but they do not yet know the meaning. In addition, they have no explanation as to how REM sleep or a state similar to REM sleep can occur suddenly in people awake.

Symptoms and Complications

The five symptoms with narcolepsy are common, but very few have all the. The first and most important is a sudden urge to sleep during the day drowsiness is so extreme that the person is unable to stay awake for more than a few moments, regardless of his efforts and even standing. It is more likely to happen when a person is inactive or bored, for example in class or at work. However, in some cases, the urge to sleep occurs during physical exertion or stress. Sleep becomes immediately type paradoxical phenomenon that never occurs outside of this disorder.

It is not difficult to draw a person what type of sleep. Upon waking, she may feel refreshed, but the tiredness may return very quickly and cause another bout of sleep. In severe cases, this may occur several times a day. If the person is not disturbed narcoleptic, sleep can last from minutes to hours.

Despite this, narcoleptics do not actually tend to sleep more hours than others. Naturally, this means that people with this disorder sleep less at night, in fact, they may complain of sleep a night not resting, often interrupted by nightmares. So in addition to sleep several times a day for short periods, narcoleptics tend to wake several times a night.

The other three symptoms of narcolepsy are rare, but most people show at least one from time to time. All these symptoms occur in people fully awake, which can be frightening if the person has not yet received a diagnosis of narcolepsy and did not know they are infected.

In cataplexy, the low muscle tone associated with REM sleep appears suddenly in a person fully awake in a moment of deep emotion. Laughter, anger, fear, joy or, more often, the simple surprise can cause a sudden giving way of legs of the person and make her fall.

Sleep paralysis occurs just before the person falls asleep or immediately after waking. A temporary but complete paralysis prevents the person from moving for a few seconds. Sleep paralysis is actually not so rare, especially in children, but it is a sign of narcolepsy only if the person also has the primary symptom of suddenly falling asleep during the day.

Hypnagogic phenomena also occur just before sleep or just after awakening, and they are also very common in people without narcolepsy. In fact, there is intense dreams that continue after waking. Given that these dreams occur in people who do not sleep really, they are sometimes called hallucinations. These hallucinations are most often ominous. The topic of "transforming" its environment and thinks he sees monsters instead of people around, or recreate realistic situations perfectly. For example, seeing someone enter the apartment as if they were home, and start to talk or see in place of a spouse indescribable beast lying next to you. These hallucinations can have very adverse effects on the psychological health of the subject.

Narcolepsy is associated with a possible complication that is also a risk in other sleep disorders, that of having an accident due to fatigue. The urge to sleep is so sudden and compelling it is more like fainting than falling asleep. Some have fallen asleep at the wheel. In addition, people who sleep poorly at night can not be shaped the day they feel or not feel like sleeping. Even a slight fatigue may affect the trial and make dangerous driving a car or operating heavy machinery. Controlling symptoms of narcolepsy can be instrumental in preventing accidents.

Diagnosis

There are many other causes of daytime fatigue. The most common are probably depression, sleep apnea (breathing problems during sleep) and sleep deprivation. However, none of these disorders does not cause sleepiness as severe or as sudden as the urge felt by narcolepsy.

The traditional examination for narcolepsy called time multiple sleep latency (MSLT). The person spends the day at a clinic of sleep disorders, where she is encouraged to make frequent small naps. Each time, an electroencephalogram (EEG) is obtained, and devices measure eye movements and muscle tone. The trend towards onset of REM sleep when the person falls asleep strongly suggestive of narcolepsy.

Treatment of narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is no cure, but symptoms can be stopped with medication. Drugs belonging to the class of nervous system stimulants, which include amphetamines such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methylphenidate (Ritalin ®) are commonly used. The best treatment for the symptoms of cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic phenomena are antidepressants in the classes of tricyclic or monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

It is unlikely that a medication able to eliminate completely any desire to sleep during the day. The best way to tame this situation is to take short naps planned, usually three to four naps of about twenty minutes each. If treatment fails to completely reverse the symptoms, the person with narcolepsy is likely prefer to avoid occupations that would require it to drive long distances or operate dangerous machinery for extended periods.