| ... is not simply a condition where you sleep too much. True narcolepsy almost always has some amount of cataplexy involved as well as vivid sensory hallucinations in the entry and exit periods of sleep. This in combination with hitting REM prior within 10 minutes of laying down is usually what it takes for a narcoleptic diagnosis. There are MANY sleeping disorders. My daughter has both cataplexy, sensory hallucinations, and hits REM at an average of 2 minutes after laying down or stopping active involvement in an activity. The norm is 20 minutes. Cataplexy is the complete loss of muscle tone while awake, usually triggered by laughter, but can be triggered by any strong emotion. ie: you collapse like you have no muscles or bones and cannot move for a split second to several minutes. Literally cannot move, speak or do anything other than the automatics. Our bodies do this to all of us as a means of protecting us while in a dream state... in narcoleptics, it can and does happen while awake. It can be like "body hiccups" or "knee collapses" while walking. It can be a full fledged collapse to the floor. You are fully conscious and awake, but cannot move. There are some interesting movies online at Stanford University of cataplectic/narcoleptic dogs and children. Sensory hallucinations are a brief period when waking or just falling asleep that can in perceived time last a long time. They are very vivid and you feel everything. Often they are nightmarish, where you FEEL someone choking you and you are paralized. My daughter describes times of _knowing_ she was outside laying on the balcony getting rained on and _feeling_ the drops hit and run down her skin and her clothing get gradually soaked through. She also as felt herself get choked or otherwise maimed while in this state. It's quite terrifying. Contrary to popular belief, narcoleptics may not sleep more than average... they sleep at the wrong times and cannot control when they sleep. It's an overwhelming attack that no amount of caffiene will stop. Often they have insomnia or cannot sleep for long enough periods to gain a true restful night of sleep. Some of the treatments for narcolepsy also include getting the patient a full restful nights sleep, using medications in the amytriptilene family. In addition, anti-depressants are often used to help regulate the seratonin (sp?). Narcolepsy is most certainly connected to poor regulation of seratonin. Provigil is the latest drug, but no one really knows how it works, just that is does work. |
