Some people have a constant feeling of sleepiness, and it is difficult for them to resist it, so it is not just a passing event, this is called narcolepsy, and this name comes as a result of the compulsive need for sleep that controls the patient.
Narcolepsy is not related to a specific age group, as it affects anyone, but it appears more in the youth stage, and this disease has great risks to health if it is not treated.
Symptoms of narcolepsy:
Due to the lack of understanding and diagnosis of the disease, the patient may live with it for many years without knowing about his condition, so it is necessary to know the symptoms to seek immediate help if they appear:
1. Feeling sleepy during the day
Feeling sleepy during the day occurs even if the person sleeps enough at night, so he has sudden bouts of drowsiness, and at inappropriate times, such as: while you are at work or even while driving a car.
2. Pre-sleep hallucinations
This occurs as a result of the intense need for sleep, as the person may speak incomprehensible words and a low tone of voice because he wants to sleep badly.
3. Stopping body movement
While awake, it may be a complete stop and make it difficult for the person to move his entire body, or a partial stop due to weakness in some of the body's muscles such as: knees, neck, arms or jaw.
4. Sleep disturbance
Although the narcolepsy patient feels sleepy during the day, his sleep is usually intermittent and disturbed at night.
5. Some involuntary actions
Because the patient is in a state of unconsciousness, if he resists this severe drowsiness, he performs automatic and incomprehensible actions, and he may perform some actions and then forget them later.
6. Sudden sleep
This is the final result of all these symptoms, as the patient actually sleeps for moments or hours.
Causes of narcolepsy:
Narcolepsy is a chronic disease that affects the nervous system, and there is no specific cause for this disease, but it occurs due to several factors that interact to lead to a malfunction in the nerves.
Some doctors believe that narcolepsy occurs due to a deficiency in the production of the following two substances:
*Hypocretin: a substance that regulates the sleep cycle.
*Auxin: a substance that stimulates wakefulness in humans.
Genetic factors may play a role in this matter, as there are some genes that control the production of chemicals responsible for human sleep, and any defect in these genes affects sleep.
It has also been shown that the presence of some abnormalities in different parts of the brain leads to sleep disorders.
There are other causes that lead to drowsiness, but they are not related to narcolepsy, such as:
*Infection with human African trypanosomiasis, a disease caused by the bite of the tsetse fly that is widespread in the African continent, which makes the infected person lose control of himself and fall into a deep sleep at different times.
*Exposure to fatigue and stress and not getting the appropriate amount of sleep until the person becomes drowsy.
Treatment of narcolepsy:
So far, there is no final cure for this disease, but there are some treatments and tips that can reduce its severity, which are as follows:
* Taking some stimulant medications: which are recommended by the attending physician to reduce the feeling of drowsiness and regulate sleep better.
* Sleeping for short periods during the day: in case of feeling sleepy to avoid sudden sleep that poses a danger to the patient.
* Taking some antidepressants: as they reduce the hallucinations that occur due to this disease, and treat the cessation of movement that affects the patient in case of feeling sleepy, and the doctor is the one who determines the appropriate medications in this case.
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