Narcolepsy with cataplexy definition3/19/2023 Most of the attacks are on the mild side, where the person feels weakness in limited muscles in their body, and it quickly passes after a few moments. In a small percentage of cases, cataplexy can be the first symptom to appear, and these people are usually misdiagnosed with a seizure disorder. The onset of cataplexy can be years after the start of EDS, and while some people can only experience a few attacks in their lifetime, others may have many each day. It is often triggered by strong emotions such as anger, fear, excitement, laughter, or stress. Cataplexy is defined by a sudden loss of muscle tone that leads to muscle weakness and inability to move while the person is awake.In between these events, a person has normal levels of alertness, especially if they are partaking in an activity that requires their close attention. Unlike with other sleeping disorders, EDS in narcolepsy manifests through the sudden urge to fall asleep, and these sleep attacks come rather unexpectedly. EDS is persistent even if the person seems to get enough sleep during the night and feel well-rested in the morning. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is present in all individuals, and it’s the most obvious symptom.The excessive daytime sleepiness is present in all the patients, but all other symptoms are only experienced by 10 to 25 percent of affected individuals. Some symptoms improve over time, especially if the person follows the guidelines for narcolepsy management. Unfortunately, it is a lifelong condition, but it doesn’t necessarily get worse with age. The symptoms start in early life, in most cases in the teenage period. Besides the standard symptoms, these individuals can also experience severe neurological problems and sleep for prolonged periods each night (more than 10 hours). People with this condition often have less severe symptoms and normal levels of hypocretin.Ī disorder known as secondary narcolepsy can arise from an injury to the hypothalamus, a brain region that plays a significant role in regulating sleep. It is also characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, but unlike type 1, there are no sleep attacks and cataplexy. Type 2 or narcolepsy without cataplexy.Individuals affected by this most commonly have low levels of brain hormone hypocretin. The main symptom of this type 1 narcolepsy is daytime sleepiness, but people can also experience sleep hallucinations and sleep paralysis. Strong emotions often trigger these events, and they can be dangerous if they happen during certain activities such as driving. It is characterized by a sudden muscle weakness that enables a person to move. Affected people go through many relationship, work, academic, and social problems because of the sleep attacks, and that can often lead to the feeling of embarrassment and impaired mental health. The goal of this article is to educate people on the causes, symptoms, and the treatment of narcolepsy. It affects males and females equally, and the first symptoms usually appear between the ages of 7 and 25. However, some experts believe that the condition is underdiagnosed because it is often mistaken with psychiatric disorders, and that the number can be much higher. It is estimated that 135.000 to 200.000 people are affected by narcolepsy in the United States. This state is similar to the paralyzing of the muscles that happen during the REM stage, but since the brain has lost the ability to regulate sleep and wake cycle, it can randomly occur during wakefulness. Additionally, people may experience cataplexy, which is described as the weakness of muscles that enables a person to move while awake. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep usually occurs every 60 to 90 minutes in people with regular sleep cycles, but in those affected by narcolepsy, it can happen only 10 minutes after falling asleep. People with narcolepsy experience changes in the architecture of their sleep, especially in REM stages. This excessive sleepiness is not ordinary and feels more like a sleep attack, where the affected person cannot suppress the feeling of fatigue, and they may nod off for a few seconds to several minutes at a time. People who are affected by this condition often feel excessively tired during the day, even if they got enough sleep at night. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to regulate the sleep/wake cycle.
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