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Narcolepsy: Sleep Attacks
A sleepy feeling during the day could be caused by insufficient, inadequate, or fragmented sleep, by insomnia, or by boredom, social isolation, physical confinement, or depression. But, if you continually experience excessive daily daytime sleepiness--sometimes expressed as tiredness, lack of energy, and/or irresistible sleepiness--you could be suffering from another little-known, chronic sleep disorder called narcolepsy. According to the American Narcolepsy Association, 1 out of every 100 Americans is afflicted with this disorder. Yet, between 50 and 80 percent of them remain undiagnosed. People with narcolepsy suffer from sleep apnea more often than the general population, although apnea is not a core feature of the disorder.
During a narcoleptic attack, the person may find it physically impossible to stay awake and sleeps for periods ranging from a few seconds to a half hour. An attack can occur while watching TV, reading, or listening to a lecture. More surprising, these sudden attacks of sleep can also strike while walking, eating, riding a bike, or carrying on a conversation.
Despite modern medical knowledge about narcolepsy, people who have such attacks typically do not seek medical attention for years--an average of 5 to 7 years. Usually, narcolepsy starts in the early teen years, but it can strike anyone at any age. At first, the symptoms are rather mild. Gradually, over a period of years, they increase in severity.
Narcolepsy with Cataplexy
Besides the presence of excessive sleepiness, which usually is the first symptom noted, the person suffering from narcolepsy may experience a sudden weakness of the muscles called cataplexy. A cataplectic attack is usually triggered by such emotions as laughter, anger, elation, or surprise. It may be experienced as partial muscle weakness lasting a few seconds or as almost complete loss of muscle control lasting for 1 to 2 minutes. During this period, the victim may be in a state of nearly total physical collapse, unable to move or speak, but still conscious and at least/ partially aware of activity in the immediate environment.
Sometimes, narcolepsy is misdiagnosed as epilepsy. But while epilepsy is often accompanied by loss of bladder and bowel control and tongue biting, narcolepsy is not. More often, the symptoms of narcolepsy are attributed to laziness, malingering, or psychiatric disorder. Job and home life usually suffer when narcolepsy goes untreated.
Narcolepsy, believed to be caused by a defect in the central nervous system, has no known cure. However, after proper diagnosis, the disorder can be effectively managed with drugs.
Hazards of Narcolepsy
People who have narcolepsy but don't know it represent a serious safety hazard to themselves and others when they drive. They may doze off while waiting for a traffic signal to change, or they may drive to destination and be completely unable to recall how they got there. At least one in every 500 drivers is estimated to be suffering from narcolepsy.
Tragically, many of the drivers may not survive to be diagnosed or counted among the sufferers. Yet, narcolepsy is a major traffic safety problem with a low-cost and easy solution: proper diagnosis and medical care. Diagnosed patients who understand their symptoms appear to be very safe drivers, and their driving can be coordinated with the use of medication.
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