What are the five symptoms of narcolepsy?

What are the five symptoms of narcolepsy?

They include:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness. People with narcolepsy fall asleep without warning, anywhere, anytime. ...
• Sudden loss of muscle tone. ...
• Sleep paralysis. ...
• Changes in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. ...
• Hallucinations.

What is the most common complaint by patients who have narcolepsy?

Most often, narcoleptics present with the primary complaint of falling asleep at inappropriate times. It is also possible for narcoleptics to experience insomnia or uncontrollable muscle weakness.

What are common problems for people with narcolepsy?

People with narcolepsy may struggle with: Mental fogginess that makes it hard to concentrate. Memory issues and automatic behavior that can lead to feelings of uncertainty about daily events and self-doubt. Sleepiness that causes unintentional napping at school or work, which can be embarrassing and problematic.

What causes narcolepsy symptoms?

Many cases of narcolepsy are thought to be caused by a lack of a brain chemical called hypocretin (also known as orexin), which regulates sleep. The deficiency is thought to be the result of the immune system mistakenly attacking parts of the brain that produce hypocretin.

What are the different types of narcolepsy?

There are two types of narcolepsy:

• Type 1 is the most common. It includes a symptom called cataplexy, or sudden loss of muscle tone. ...
• Type 2 is narcolepsy without cataplexy. Usually, people with type 2 narcolepsy have normal levels of hypocretin.

What does narcolepsy look like?

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that causes persistent sleepiness and additional symptoms such as brief episodes of muscle weakness known as cataplexy, vivid, dreamlike hallucinations, brief episodes of paralysis when falling asleep or upon awakening (sleep paralysis), and fragmented nighttime sleep.

Is narcolepsy a mental illness?

However, narcolepsy is frequently misdiagnosed initially as a psychiatric condition, contributing to the protracted time to accurate diagnosis and treatment. Narcolepsy is a disabling neurodegenerative condition that carries a high risk for development of social and occupational dysfunction.

Does narcolepsy lead to dementia?

This terrible disease is characterized by narcolepsy evolving into neuropsychiatric problems and dementia.

What part of the brain does narcolepsy affect?

Narcolepsy develops as a result of changes in the hypothalamus region of your brain. This small gland is located above your brain stem. The hypothalamus helps regulate the release of hormones that affect numerous parts of your body. For example, it's responsible for releasing hypocretins, which help regulate sleep.

Who suffers from narcolepsy?

Who gets narcolepsy? Narcolepsy affects both males and females equally. Symptoms often start in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood (ages 7 to 25), but can occur at any time in life. It is estimated that anywhere from 135,0,000 people in the United States have narcolepsy.