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Every 1,000 of 2,000 Americans are affected by narcolepsy (Brandt and Odle). If you’re one of those affected, know you are not alone. This blog post is meant to bring comfort and prepare those affected and familiar with others who have the condition, or even those that are just interested in narcolepsy, about the life that is set ahead of them and what they should expect to occur. The following information that will be
What is it?
Narcolepsy is a disorder concerning abnormal, sporadic sleeping patterns. Those affected struggle with uncontrollable fatigue and cataplexy. Narcolepsy is associated with REM. A person without the conditions usually has 90 minutes of non-REM & then REM however, those affected enter REM immediately (Brandt and Odle). With this disorder, you fight with sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks on a daily basis which, can
be inconvenient if you are out in public or with company. Additionally, it leaves you vulnerable to potential injuries that may be severe depending where you are and what you are doing. Cataplexy is a symptom where you suddenly lose muscle tone that temporarily lasts for a period of time. REM is the deep part of your sleep and normally, when when you first fall asleep you don’t enter a deep sleep until a certain period of time. In contrast, those with narcolepsy immediately enter REM during each sleep attack/episode.
How does it affect daily life?
Indeed, those affected can live life normally like everyone else with only little contrast due to their condition, however, narcolepsy can serve to be an inconvenience. When they fall asleep during an activity, they will wake up not being able to recollect any memory on what they were doing. In addition, overwhelming fatigue could overtake you at any given moment (Brandt and Odle). Living with this disease does not mean you will have to live in constant fear. By making alterations in your daily life routine, it’ll prove to be just a difference
in lifestyles compared to others. “The top 3 major symptoms of narcolepsy are cataplexy, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis.” Hallucinations occur before or even after sleep as a result of REM sleep. On the other hand, they will experience cataplexy, a sudden loss in muscle tone, before their sleep and will have sleep paralysis in the event of when they are about to wake up (Frey and Watson). By knowing the symptoms beforehand, it will help prepare you in the event that you do fall asleep somewhere aside from the safety of your own home or someone you trust, it will signal you to take precaution and be ready for what comes next.
How does it affect family?
Life can still be lived normally but nevertheless, those that become overwhelmed by the condition lose their sense of independence and will become dependent on those close to them and are often in need of their care. If their condition is extreme enough, they may even develop depression (Brandt and Odle). Family members must always look out for person in question. Their future will be affected due to struggles in social and academic life.
Self-esteem is usually at low levels and patients run the risk of misdiagnosis and mistreatment which may trigger depression.The risk of misdiagnosis is a result of symptoms not appearing during a 10 - 15 year time span (Brandt and Laberge). Doctors must be cautious and aware of their patients’ condition and it’s severity, so make if patients must make it clear to their doctors on what they’re experiencing and address all their concerns to prevent the risk of receiving an incorrect diagnosis.
Additional Resources:
Narcolepsy is a disorder concerning abnormal, sporadic sleeping patterns. Those affected struggle with uncontrollable fatigue and cataplexy. Narcolepsy is associated with REM. A person without the conditions usually has 90 minutes of non-REM & then REM however, those affected enter REM immediately (Brandt and Odle). With this disorder, you fight with sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks on a daily basis which, can
How does it affect daily life?
Indeed, those affected can live life normally like everyone else with only little contrast due to their condition, however, narcolepsy can serve to be an inconvenience. When they fall asleep during an activity, they will wake up not being able to recollect any memory on what they were doing. In addition, overwhelming fatigue could overtake you at any given moment (Brandt and Odle). Living with this disease does not mean you will have to live in constant fear. By making alterations in your daily life routine, it’ll prove to be just a difference
How does it affect family?
Life can still be lived normally but nevertheless, those that become overwhelmed by the condition lose their sense of independence and will become dependent on those close to them and are often in need of their care. If their condition is extreme enough, they may even develop depression (Brandt and Odle). Family members must always look out for person in question. Their future will be affected due to struggles in social and academic life.
Additional Resources:
- National Institute of Health: Narcolepsy
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Narcolepsy
Works Cited:
- Brandt, Michelle Lee, and Monique Laberge. "Narcolepsy." The Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence. Ed. Jacqueline L. Longe. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2011. 1562-1565. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
- Brandt, Michelle Lee, and Teresa G. Odle. "Narcolepsy." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. 3rd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 2573-2574. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
- Due Date. Dir. Todd Phillips. Perf. Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. Warnerbros., 2010. DVD.
- Frey, Rebecca J., Stephanie M. Watson, and Ruth A. Wienclaw. "Sleep Disorders." The Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence. Ed. Jacqueline L. Longe. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2011. 1997-2005. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
- "Surprise!" Cartoon. Http://nawrot.psych.ndsu.nodak.edu/. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://nawrot.psych.ndsu.nodak.edu/Courses/465Projects08/Narcolepsy/Index.htm>
- "The Adventure of Narcolepsy Man." Comic strip. Freedomfromnarcolepsy.webs.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://nawrot.psych.ndsu.nodak.edu/Courses/465Projects08/Narcolepsy/Treatment_files/image001.jpg>
I found your blog post to be interesting and informational to anyone who has just been diagnosed with narcolepsy or are just curious about it. I have met someone who was diagnosed with narcolepsy and although they can lead a normal life it is still a hard disease to deal with. It is an uncontrollable disease that takes a toll on the person diagnosed and their families. All diseases are horrible to deal with and I hope that one day a cure will be found to help people in need.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Narcolepsy is one of the most interesting diseases I've ever heard of. Reading this post only fed into my curiosity of it. I know people that have it suffer greatly as well as the people who must care for them, but I am intrigued as to what it feels like to have narcolepsy. I would never wish it upon anyone, nor would I want to have this disease for my whole life, but to experience it for a day would be pretty cool.
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