Narcolepsy Chronic Sleep Disorder

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder of sleep regulation; professional psychologists at the best addiction treatment center in Lahore can be characterized by overwhelming and excessive daytime sleepiness lasting from 10 to 20 minutes. Such daytime naps are mostly sudden and brief. In other words, a narcoleptic person can fall asleep at any time and place, even after sleeping well at night. Certainly, narcolepsy, all about Demerol addiction, affects the normal life of a person who suffers from this disorder because such a person can not control their sleep-wake cycle. Cataplexy (the loss of muscle tone) and hallucinations, which sometimes accompany sudden attacks of narcoleptic sleep, can make narcolepsy harder.

In the early stages of narcolepsy, daytime sleep attacks happen due to boredom or when an individual What Causes Arthritis? Understand is motionless and in peace. 

But in a while, a person with narcoleptic symptoms can start experiencing sleep paralysis (inability to move or to talk in those moments when the person is about to fall asleep or right after waking up), automatic behaviour (being involved in daily activities without full awareness), hypnagogic hallucinations (very realistic and sometimes scary visions and dreams) and cataplexy (sudden losses of muscle control of the body, which vary from slight weakness to total loss of power, and are frequently followed by loud reaction of laughter, scream or anger).

The causes of narcolepsy have not been specified yet. For years, American medical researchers and specialists, who work at the National Institutes of Health, have been exploring possible reasons for this disorder and trying to find ways to diagnose and effectively treat narcolepsy. Medical scientists suppose this disorder can be connected with biochemical defects of the central nervous system, resulting in disturbance of our REM sleep. It was discovered that narcoleptic patients have some irregularities in those parts of the brain which regulate REM sleep. Blood pressure is also a key factor, especially for the cases of cataplexy, because losses of muscle tone are strictly linked to blood pressure changes. Besides, as narcolepsy often occurs in all members of the same family, heredity is also supposed to be a key factor among the causes of narcolepsy.

Diagnosing this disorder includes physical examination and studying the sleeping patterns of the patient. There are some options for treatment, including taking antidepressants and medications from the central nervous system stimulants group and doing physical or psychological exercises. Stimulants and antidepressants must be prescribed to improve alertness and control muscle paralysis. Besides, specialists can recommend taking planned short daily sleep, which can help overcome sudden sleep attacks. Programs of combined treatments can be effective and result in considerable improvements, though complete recovery is hardly possible. Treatment for this disorder is strictly individual and depends on the specifics of the symptoms, so it may take weeks or years to achieve some positive results.

About 125,000 people in our country suffer from narcolepsy. It may occur in women and men of any age, though its symptoms can mostly be found in teenagers or people in their early twenties. This disorder is usually a life-long problem, and for those who suffer from narcolepsy, it is important to learn more about this neurological condition. There are special support groups to help patients and their families to cope with the effects and consequences of this disorder. A number of educational programs are also available in specialized clinics and medical organizations.