Some narcolepsy facts state that anyone, at any age (although most symptoms are usually first noticed in teenagers or younger adults) can develop this sleep disorder that affects the nervous system. Narcolepsy often runs in families with 8 to 12 percent of people with narcolepsy having a close relative with this condition. It can cause excessive sleepiness, including frequent sleep attacks during the day. If you have narcolepsy it can have a huge impact on your active, busy lifestyle. Read more »
Narcolepsy is a Daytime Sleep Disorder
What is narcolepsy? According to WebMD, narcolepsy is a daytime sleep disorder which neurologically affects the control of sleep and wakefulness. In other words, people experience uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep easy during the day, anytime of day. Typically when we fall asleep it takes about ninety minutes for rapid eye movement sleep (REM), narcoleptics REM sleep occurs right away. Researchers have discovered irregularities in various parts of the brain involved in regulating REM sleep patterns. These irregularities apparently contribute to the occurrence of narcoleptic symptoms. Experts believe there are many factors causing narcolepsy that act together causing neurological dysfunction and REM sleep disturbances. Read more »
Sleep Paralysis
What is sleep paralysis? Sleep paralysis is when you cannot perform voluntary movements at the onset of sleep or upon awakening. Sleep paralysis is also known as isolated sleep paralysis, familial sleep paralysis, hynogogic or hypnopompic paralysis and predormital or postdormital paralysis. The symptoms of sleep paralysis range from the inability to move limbs, brief periods of partial or complete skeletal muscle paralysis and episodes can be associated with hypnagogic hallucinations or dream-like mentation which is the result from mental activity. Read more »
My Child Falls Asleep Easy – Narcolepsy
Does your child fall asleep easy no matter what they are doing? Frequent daytime sleepiness is often called excessive daytime somnolence (EDS) that can be caused by a chronic sleep deprivation, but it may be a symptom of narcolepsy. Narcolepsy consists of EDS with involuntary sleep episodes. 87% of people have interrupted sleep patterns and 76% of those with narcolepsy show signs of cataplexy which is a sudden weakness without loss of consciousness brought on by emotion. Other symptoms associated with narcolepsy are; hypnogogic hallucinations or vivid dreams and sleep paralysis a condition when one’s muscles are paralyzed, both occur at the onset of falling asleep, according to Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. Read more »