What Is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a genetic disorder caused by a combination of neuropeptides known as hypocretin and orexin in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The main feature of narcolepsy is excessive and overwhelming sleepiness during the day, even after sufficient sleep. Night sleep can turn into frequent waking, and drowsiness can persist for a long time. A person with narcolepsy is more likely to become sleepy and fall asleep at inappropriate times and places. Sleep attacks can occur without warning and attacks can occur repeatedly in a single day. Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by excessive drowsiness, insomnia, sleep apnea, or a combination of these symptoms.

People with narcolepsy are often unable to stay awake for long regardless of the circumstances. Sometimes it can be accompanied by a sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy), which can trigger strong emotions. First of all, it is important to note that narcolepsy is a less common sleep disorder. Many people who are excessively sleepy during the day, yawn a lot, fall asleep very easily or take unwanted naps all day long may think they are anesthetized. But you are far more likely to experience a more serious form of sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, which affects millions of Americans. According to the Narcolepsy Network, about 1.5 million people in the United States alone are affected by the disorder. It is estimated that around one in 2,000 people is affected and that men and women are affected equally.


Many people have had symptoms of narcolepsy for years without getting a proper diagnosis. Symptoms occur in childhood and adolescence and last for several months to several years after the onset of symptoms. People with narcolepsy feel very sleepy during the day and can fall asleep involuntarily during normal activities. Narcolepsy is characterized by a tendency to fall asleep during normal activity. The characteristics of sleep can occur while the person is awake, but with narcoleptic the normal boundaries between awake and asleep are so blurred. Cataplexy is the most obvious sign of narcolepsy and is usually accompanied by laughter in about 80% of cases. Although it can occur in people with other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, anaesthetics are available, even if only the sleep disorder causes catapultation.

Narcolepsy is a rare long-term brain disease that causes a person to fall asleep at inappropriate times. It can have a significant impact on your daily life and be emotionally difficult to cope with. Narcolepsy is often caused by overproduction of the neurotransmitter serotonin (also known as orexin) in the brain, which regulates wakefulness. It is thought that the hypocretin deficiency is caused by the immune system incorrectly attacking the cells that produce it and the receptors that allow it to work, such as the hypothalamus of the brain.
Almost all narcoleptics with cataplexy have a deficiency of the naturally occurring chemical hypocretin, which promotes wakefulness and regulates REM sleep. Known as secondary narcolexia, the condition can result from an imbalance in the hypothalamus, a region deep in the brain that regulates sleep and can cause symptoms such as sleep apnea, seizures, or even death. If a person has the typical symptoms of anesthesia, he cannot sleep well and has severe neurological problems.

In this type of narcolepsy, hypocretin is missing in the hypothalamus, the central nervous system of the brain. Cataplexy is when a person’s body tends to behave when they behave as if they were awake. Recent research suggests that many people with narycoleptic disease have deficiencies in the neurotransmitter dopamine, a chemical that regulates arousal, alertness and appetite. Although the causes of anesthesia are still unknown and not fully understood, recent research suggests that it may be a combination of factors that interact to cause the cause of hypocretism, such as an imbalance of dopamine and / or an overactive amygdala.

This can lead to symptoms such as speech problems, dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting and other drowsiness symptoms. Strong emotions usually lead to temporary and sudden muscle weakness, known as cataplexy, which usually occurs in the form of muscle spasms. These events are usually triggered by strong emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, anger towards a loved one or fear of death. Even if you dedicate yourself to an activity, you may fall asleep in the middle of the day or even at night due to muscle weakness.
In fact, narcolepsy is sometimes defined by a feeling of paralysis that occurs between waking up and sleeping, called atonia. In rare cases, it can be caused by impairment of the part of the brain that regulates wakefulness (REM sleep) or sleep.

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