Whatisnarcolepsy?

• Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that causes

drowsiness and frequent nap attacks during the
day.
• It is NOT related to depression, seizure
disorders, fainting, or simple lack of sleep.
• The name narcolepsy comes from the French word
narcolepsie, which is a combination of the Greek
word narkē (“numbness”) and leptos (“seizure”).
 Whatcancausenarcolepsy?
• Narcolepsy is NOT a mental
illness. It is a nervous
system disorder.
• Evidence suggests that
narcolepsy may run in
families.
• Scientists believe that
narcolepsy is caused by a
decrease in the amount of
hypocretin.
• Hypocretin, also known as
orexin, is involved in
controlling appetite and
sleep patterns.
Whatis themajorsymptom?
• The major symptom is
excessive daytime sleepiness.
• Sleep attacks occur with little
warning and may often occur at
inappropriate times and paces.
• These naps are physically
irresistible and take place
several times per day, usually
lasting for about 15 minutes
each (can be longer).
 Whataretheothersymptoms?
Cataplexy
• The person suddenly
loses muscle function
while awake and cannot
move.
• It can be a result of
strong emotions, such Sleep paralysis
as laughter or anger. • The person temporarily
• The attacks can last loses the ability to talk
from a few seconds to or move when he or
several minutes. she wakes up or first
becomes drowsy.
 Automatic behavior
• A person continues to
function, such as
talking and putting
objects in different
places, during sleep,
but he or she does not
Hypnagogic hallucinations recall doing such
activities after
• These are vivid,
awakening.
dreamlike experiences
that take place when a
person is sleeping,
falling asleep, or
awakening.
• The hallucinations
involve seeing or
Howmanypeoplearediagnosedwithnarcolepsy?
• Experts estimate that
around 3 million people
worldwide have
narcolepsy.
• In the United States, it
is estimated that there
are around 200,000
people affected by the • The usual onset of
disorder, but not even a narcolepsy is in
quarter of them are adolescence and young
diagnosed. adulthood.
• The prevalence is about
1 per 2,000 people.
 Howdoesonegetdiagnosedwithnarcolepsy?
• Two tests are commonly used to diagnose
nacolepsy.
• One is the polysomnogram, which involves
continuous recording of brain waves and nerve and
muscle functions during sleep at night.
• Another is the multiple sleep latency test, or
MSLT, which involves observations made o f the
time taken for a person to reach the different
stages of sleep.
Howdoesonegettreated?
• There is no known cure for
narcolepsy. There are only ways to
control the symptoms.
• Modafinil, a stimulant drug, is a
popular medicine for treating
narcolepsy because it is less likely
to be abused than other
stimulants.
• Antidepressant drugs can reduce
cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and
hallucinations.
• Some patients also take sodium
oxybate at night.
Whataresomelifestyleadjustmentsthatcan
helpcopewithnarcolepsy?
• Eating light meals during
the day
• Avoiding heavy meals
before important events
• Napping after meals
• Planning naps ahead
• Informing teachers and
employers about the
disorder
 Whataresomepossiblecomplicationsin
dailylife?
• May endanger life if sleep attacks occur while
driving, operating machinery, etc.
• Impairment of functioning at work
• Impairment of social activities
• Side effects of medicines used to treat the
disorder
 Walking in myshoes...
Having narcolepsy has drastically changed my life.
At first, finding out that I have this disorder was
depressing. Knowing that the disorder has no cure
and is going to play a major role in the rest of my
life, I felt as if my future is shattered into
pieces…
It has been two months now. I have learned to
accept the invasion of this strange disorder into
my life, and I am trying my hardest to adjust my
lifestyle to accommodate for the c omplications of
the disorder, but it is difficult…
I worry the most about going to
school everyday with the disorder.
Throughout the day, I usually feel
tired and drowsy, which affects me
greatly because I cannot fully pay
attention to the teacher.
Also, I have had several sleep
attacks during tests and quizzes. I
sometimes ask my teacher for more
time, but other times, the timing is
very strict. As a result, my grades
have gone down significantly. This sois
frustrating!
My doctor has been telling me to
schedule a few naps scattered
throughout the day. I have tried
doing that a few times, but it
doesn’t exactly work out when I’m
in school.
During the weekdays, I can only
take a 20 to 30-minute nap during
lunch. It is somewhat refreshing,
but not enough to last me through
the whole day.
Ever since narcolepsy entered my life,
it has always been on my mind. Maybe
I’m not thinking about it 24/7, but it’s
always there. I constantly have to
remind myself that I cannot or should
not do certain activities because I
cannot predict when I’m going to
collapse due to a sudden sleep attack
or an episode of cataplexy.
Since sleep attacks are very common after meals,
I can cope with the disorder by eating light meals,
which usually translate into tiny vegetarian meals.
Before important tests and parties, I only eat a
little.
This makes me sad because I cannot eat a calorie-
rich cheeseburger with greasy French fries
whenever I want. I cannot fully enjoy the sweet
and sour chicken that my mom cooks. Sometimes I
crave for those dishes, but I have to quench my
cravings with more broccoli or corn .
Many people do not know about narcolepsy and
think I’m crazy when I inform them about the
sleeping disorder. My teachers all know about the
condition and do not punish me for falling asleep
in class. (I had to bring in a whole bunch of
doctors’ notes for them to believe me.) However,
when we have substitute teachers, it is very
irritating because they always think that I’m
being lazy and not on task when I have my head
down on my desk. After I wake up, I’m usually
too lazy to explain the whole situation to them
because the disorder is not well-known in society
Even though I do not have a driver’s license
and have never driven a car before, I am
extremely scared nowadays whenever I think
about learning to drive. The question that
always pops into my brain when I think about
driving is… “What if I have a sleep attack on
the road?” Then, my thoughts get scarier
and scarier as I imagine having fatal car
crashes.
Another major effect of having the
disorder is that my social life is being
disrupted. Before, I attended many
social activities with my friends. We
went bowling, karaoke, and picnicking.
We went to the movies and had poker
parties. We went swimming and ice
skating.
Now, I reject many of the invitations
because a lot of those activities get me
very excited and emotionally aroused.
Also, having a sudden sleep attack or a
sudden invasion of cataplexy is
embarrassing, especially in public pla ces.
I often feel lonely and left out…
Life, in general, seems to go
by slower. I feel different,
too. Before, I was usually
very energetic and animated,
laughing and joking with my
friends a lot. Now, I always
feel lethargic. Even when I
am in a good mood, I
sometimes still feel drowsy
physically.

I can’t imagine what it is

going to be like, living with
this disorder for the rest of
my life…but I guess I just
have to make the best out
of it…