Its' caused by the brains inability to control the sleep/wake cycles. You often have it since childhood, but episodes can occur rarely and therefore very hard to diagnose. It comes from the lack of a neurotransmitter called hypocretin.
It can be caused from head trauma or loss of brain cells, stress and viruses. Narcolepsy would have to be diagnosed by a polysomnograph followed by a MSLT or Multiple Sleep Latency Test. MSTLs are performed during the day time.
You really can't "prevent" narcolepsy. It has to derive from two sources however, one of them is genetics. The others could be an auto-immune disease, head trauma, pesticide poisoning, etc.
I would look at your family history, if someone in your family has been diagnosed with narcolepsy, or cataplexy you could develop it. I would also do a self analysis of your condition.
Are you constantly sleepy?
Do you fall asleep quickly while reading, watching television, riding or driving in a car?
Do you have trouble focusing and getting work done?
Those were some of my symptoms, I would wake up after sleeping 9 hours, be up and about for literally an hour and then would need to lay down again for a nap that sometimes lasted up to 6 hours. It was stressful.
Unfortunately there is no cure, but there are treatment options. I am on medication and it works like a dream!
If you think you have it, talk to your doctor about it, and schedule a sleep/day study stat!
Hope this helps!
I have narcolepsy and i get sleep paralysis attacks all the time. It is caused by lucid dreaming and increased stress. I have anemic blood in which i lack iron. So i cant help it. It like demon souls are taking over you, you are conscious and awake, but you feel as if something is sitting on your chest or you cant wake up.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) or Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy robs you of your energy. A study released at the annual conference for narcolepsy stated that a person without narcolepsy would have to stay awake for 32 hours straight to experience the same sensation of that of a person with narcolepsy who was awake for just 1 hour.
No, narcolepsy is a dyssomnia. It involves the timing, quantity, or quality of sleep.
Narcolepsy - song - was created on 1997-04-08.
40% of patients with narcolepsy have or have had another mental disorder. 18% of patients with narcolepsy are 10 years old or younger. It is estimated that 0.02-0.16% of the general population suffer from narcolepsy. Men and women are equally affected.
Yes.
Because he had narcolepsy, Joe seemed to fall asleep at inopportune times.
In about 8-12% of cases, people diagnosed with narcolepsy know of other family members with similar symptoms. Most people with the condition have no family members with narcolepsy.
A genetic blood test can reveal the existence of certain substances in people who have a tendency to develop narcolepsy. Positive test results suggest narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is the disorder where you fall asleep anywhere at anytime.
A lack of the protein hypocretin in the hippocampus and lower thalamus is thought to be the location of the main cause of narcolepsy.
No