Have you ever pulled two all nighters in a row? If you have, then you know that afterwards, during the day, you drift off to sleep very easily. You feel physically and mentally exhausted and your body tells you that you need to rest. This is a normal reaction by the body to the lack of sleep. This however, is something that people suffering from narcolepsy must deal with on a daily basis even when they have had a full night’s sleep. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder in which the brain does not regulate sleep-wake cycles as it should. Overwhelming daytime sleepiness occurs many times during the day, causing disruptions in daily activities. The most common symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness. Other symptoms of narcolepsy may include sleep paralysis and hypnogogic hallucinations.
Now, imagine you are in a boring lecture and you
start to drift to sleep, usually you can manage to force yourself to wake up.
This may be common occurrence, but try to imagine falling asleep while driving
or walking. These situations seem rarer. A narcoleptic’s body doesn’t care what
it is doing when it goes into these paralyzed sleeping episodes. The sudden
overwhelming feeling drives a person with narcolepsy to fall asleep.
In narcolepsy, sleep episodes can occur at any time.
People may unwillingly fall asleep while at work or at school, when having a
conversation, playing a game, eating a meal, or, most dangerously, when driving
an automobile or operating other types of machinery. In addition to daytime
sleepiness, other major symptoms include catalepsy (a sudden loss of voluntary
muscle tone that may be triggered by strong emotions), vivid dream-like images
or hallucinations during sleep onset or when waking, and brief episodes of
total paralysis, also during sleep onset or when waking.
The video below demonstrated an individual that suffers from narcolepsy. Nicole describes how this disorder has affected her life and how she has managed to overcome some situations. At various moments throughout the day, Nicole experiences sudden urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, she may do so for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. The condition is profoundly disabling, interrupting their basic day to day activities, including working, driving, even conversing with others.
Disorders are always interesting to learn about. They show what occurs when there is something not biologically correct. Narcolepsy is a very dangerous disorder and quite emotionally hurtful as well. A person who suffers from narcolepsy may physically hurt themselves, due to a fall caused by the random episodes of sleep. There is also much embarrassment and shame in those who suffer from this disorder. People may fall asleep in inappropriate circumstances that may cause others to think negatively of them. The disorder causes much sleepiness and therefore many people who view a person sleeping during much of the day may of think of them as being lazy or depressed, when in reality it is something they simply cannot control. People need to be very careful when suffering from narcolepsy. They need to be well prepared in case an episode occurs and they are driving or doing something that can hurt others or themselves. It is a very sad disorder, like many others, but it is good to know that they are researching new ways to combat it.
ReplyDeleteHaving to deal with someone with this type of disorder must be very difficult. Having in mind that Narcolepsy is dangerous in many ways; a person can harm themselves without even considering the thought. Having to go through something like falling asleep at inappropriate places for example at a job or while driving can bring consequences. People with this disorder its best if they are monitored to prevent these types of accidents. It must be very difficult having this disorder and not being able to control where or where not to fall asleep. The video gave a great explanation as to what people with Narcolepsy have to go through to overcome this disorder.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this information, facing disorder like Apena and Narcolepsy it is very hectic, but i had try Waklert pill this pill helps me keeping more patient and focus in my daily work.(Order Waklert Buy Online)
ReplyDelete