What is narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a very serious disease. Information on narcolepsy and ways to treat it.

Narcolepsy: Definition and Treatment

Narcolepsy is a chronic, rare sleep disorder. It is a disease of the central nervous system. When one suffers from narcolepsy they experience bouts of sleepiness throughout the day. Although it is rare the disease is the second most common sleep disorder affecting about every 1 in 2,000 Americans. It usually starts in the adolescent or teenage years and all races and sexes are equally likely to suffer from the disease.

Narcolepsy is caused by a lack of hypocretin chemicals in the brain. The chemical is release by cells and those who suffer from narcolepsy have a minimal amount of cells that carry the chemical. The chemicals are produced by the hypothalamus and have to do with the secretin hormone.

Most who suffer from narcolepsy are unaware and it goes untreated. It is estimated that several thousand people suffer from the disease but are unaware of it. The disease is very severe and can disable one’s daily life.

Narcolepsy is companioned by several serious symptoms such as sleep paralysis, which leaves a person unable to move, hallucinations, and cataplexy which is a sudden onset of muscle weakness. Cataplexy can cause a person to fall down or not be able to hold up their head and it is believed that it is triggered by emotions.

Narcolepsy is treated by using a combination of several medications. Stimulants are used to help control the fatigue while some of the other symptoms are treated with medications similar to anti-depressants. Since there can be some adverse reactions to these medications most patients are only given the stimulants. If the fatigue can be controlled it helps in controlling the other symptoms.

There are also non-medicated treatments that are used less frequently. Educating a person with narcolepsy and it being completely understood by the patient and their family has shown to help reduce the symptoms. Another treatment is to set up scheduled sleep and nap times and try to keep awake as much as possible in between times. This can cause your body to get used to sleeping when it’s supposed to and being awake at other times.

For each person a different form of treatment is going to be more effective. Treatments are designed on a very personal basis. Sometimes a combination of medication and behavioral treatments are used.

Currently there are no cures for narcolepsy. However, scientists are currently working on finding a way to replace the missing molecules that carry the hypocretin. If these molecules could be replaced narcolepsy could be cured. The procedure, unfortunately, is going to be very difficult. The molecules cannot be inserted or ingested because they would be broken down by the body before reaching the brain. Artificial drugs will have to be invented that will allow the molecules/chemicals to get to the brain to do their job. Scientists do not believe that replacing this molecule would necessarily lead to a cure of the disease. It is commonly believed that there is a possibility that the body destroys the molecule and that is why it is not present in those who suffer from narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy is constantly being studied and more discoveries are being made. It is hoped that within 10 years there will be some more effective and longer lasting treatments for the disease.

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