Narcolepsy Sleep Disorder

Narcolepsy affects an estimated 250,000 Americans. People with narcolepsy suffer frequent "sleep attacks" during the day, even if they enjoy a normal amount of night-time sleep. These attacks can last anything from several seconds to more than 30 minutes.

People with narcolepsy may also experience cataplexy (loss of muscle control during emotional situations), hallucinations, temporary paralysis when they awaken, and disrupted night-time sleep. These symptoms seem to be features of REM sleep that appear during waking, which suggests that narcolepsy is a disorder of sleep regulation.

The symptoms of narcolepsy typically appear during adolescence, though it often takes years to obtain a correct diagnosis.

The disorder (or at least a predisposition to it) is usually hereditary, but it is occasionally linked to brain damage from a head injury or to neurological disease.

Once diagnosed, stimulants, antidepressants, or other drugs can help control the symptoms and prevent the embarrassing and dangerous effects of falling asleep at improper times. Naps at certain times of the day may also reduce the excessive daytime sleepiness.

In 1999, a research team working with canine models identified a gene that causes narcolepsy - a breakthrough that brings a cure for this disabling condition within reach.

The gene, hypocretin receptor 2, codes for a protein that allows brain cells to receive instructions from other cells. The defective versions of the gene encode proteins that cannot recognize these messages, perhaps cutting the cells off from messages that promote wakefulness.

The researchers know that the same gene exists in humans, and they are currently searching for defective versions in people with narcolepsy.

Next >>> Sleeping pills

Best sellers from

The Little Sleep: A Novel
by Paul Tremblay
Amazon Price: $11.20
Customer Review: The idea of a narcoleptic PI sounded very cutesy to me and I almost skipped the book because of it. If I had I would've missed one of the freshest, most original and funnest PI novels to come around in years. With PI Mark Genevich, Paul Tremblay creates one of the most vulnerable PIs the genre has seen, but Tremblay never condescends to the reader,...
 

Narcolepsy: A Funny Disorder That's No Laughing Matter
by Marguerite J. Utley
Amazon Price: $18.00
Customer Review: I wish I'd found this book sooner! In her book, Narcolepsy: A Funny Disorder That's No Laughing Matter, M.J. Utley gives a very candid & helpful overview of narcolepsy: the common symptoms, types of medications, typical experiences, etc. Relying on the professional expertise of doctors & specialists, the author writes in a very easy to read, "down-...
 

Sleep Medicine Essentials
by Teofilo L. Lee-Chiong
Amazon Price: $94.45
Customer Review: Aside from the larger textbooks available, the Sleep Essentials book is a great companion to the Handbook of Sleep Medicine by the same author, with up-to-date information for many of the chapters. A quick and conscise review in a well written style, enables one to overcome the large amount of facts needed for a better understanding of Sleep Medic...
 

Aberrations
by Penelope Przekop
Amazon Price: $10.17
Customer Review: As Billy Joel once said, "Honesty is such a lonely word". Aberrations is a book which brought this subject to mind. It speaks to a desire which all humanity shares: we just want someone to be honest with us. Angel Duet is a character who is achingly human: passionate yet flawed, struggling with physical limitations compounded by the damage disho...
 

Narcolepsy:: A Clinical Guide
Amazon Price: $204.04
 

Jimmy Kimmel has narcolepsy - Celebrities With Diseases
10 Mar 2010 at 5:17pm

Celebrities With Diseases
Jimmy Kimmel has narcolepsy
Celebrities With Diseases
Late-night TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel has been very open about his struggle with narcolepsy - a neurological condition whereby the sufferer ...


 
What is narcolepsy? - Celebrities With Diseases
8 Mar 2010 at 2:52pm

What is narcolepsy?
Celebrities With Diseases
As many as 200000 Americans suffer from narcolepsy, although fewer than 50000 are diagnosed, according to Med TV. Narcolepsy is a disorder affecting the ...


 
Researchers find trigger for narcolepsy: study - AFP
17 Feb 2010 at 10:46am

AFP
Researchers find trigger for narcolepsy: study
AFP
GENEVA ? Swiss scientists say they have found a trigger for narcolepsy, the health disorder that sparks sudden daytime bouts of tiredness or sleep, ...
Narcolepsy may be autoimmune disorderUPI.com
Researchers find cause of narcolepsyWorld Radio Sw...
 
Fainting Spells - New York Times
26 Feb 2010 at 11:39pm

New York Times
Fainting Spells
New York Times
What she probably had, Ledereich told her, was something called cataplexy, and that meant that she also had narcolepsy. With narcolepsy, elements of sleep ...

and more »
 

The information contained here should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider. The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and in no way should be considered as an offering of medical advice.