Common Narcolepsy Symptoms

There are several chronic sleep disorders that have been researched, diagnosed and successfully treated. Among them is Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the part of the brain that controls sleep. It is commonly referred to as EDS or excessive daytime sleepiness. Most other sleep disorders affect the amount of sleep or type of sleep one experiences. EDS causes the sufferer to suddenly fall asleep during the day.

Imagine being in the middle of an important presentation at school or work and suddenly, without warning, falling asleep. A construction worker using heavy equipment, or those around him, could be in serious danger if he were to suddenly fall asleep while driving a tractor or other vehicle. This type of occurrence more commonly happens when the sufferer is reading, watching TV or in a meeting.

If you are like most of us, it could take you up to ninety minutes to fall into deep sleep. This stage of sleep is called REM, or the rapid eye movement stage. People with narcolepsy can go from being wide awake to the REM stage in a matter of seconds. Some of the narcolepsy symptoms are extreme sleepiness during the day, cataplexy or muscle weakness while awake, and hallucinations and sleep paralysis during sleep.

One of the most common narcolepsy symptoms is extreme sleepiness during the day. All of us will have periods of daytime sleepiness which may last thirty minutes or less. This could be caused by several factors other than narcolepsy one of which could be a lack of sleep during the night. Sufferers will complain of trouble remembering, staying focused, being in a mental fog, lack or energy and depression.

Cataplexy is the next symptom which normally occurs when the patient suddenly falls asleep. They will have muscle weakness in just a portion of their body or possibly in the whole body. We have all seen people’s heads nodding during a meeting, they may drop their pencil, book or other item they are holding. People with narcolepsy have lost all muscle control and falling to the ground.

Another symptom of narcolepsy could be hallucinations. The patient will fall asleep and dream. These will seem to be very real to the point of being able to smell, hear, and even taste things. One other common symptom is sleep paralysis, which is similar to cataplexy, although the person might be awake and unable to move or speak.

Other symptoms are not sleeping well at night or having difficulty falling asleep, and staying asleep. Also, some have experienced falling asleep while performing some type of task or activity and continuing that activity. This is commonly referred to as automatic behavior. The person is not aware they are performing this action and therefore does not do it very well, such as writing or speaking. Some sufferers have been involved in auto accidents due to this symptom and not remembered any of it.

If you suspect someone close to you, or maybe you have experienced some of these symptoms, a visit to the doctor is very important. Your physician may suggest that before prescribing medication, trying a few lifestyle changes may help. By simply avoiding things like coffee, alcohol, smoking, eating heavy meals and creating better sleeping habits could relieve many of these symptoms. Taking a short nap, limited to ten or fifteen minutes during the day could be helpful as well. Taking these types of steps first is always better than having to take prescription drugs.