Narcolepsy symptoms and causes, treatment, self-diagnosis method
Let’s learn about narcolepsy symptoms and causes, treatment, and how to self-diagnose narcolepsy.
Sometimes, even after getting enough sleep, drowsiness pours in, and there is a case of unbearable drowsiness during the day. In this case, narcolepsy should be suspected.
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by drowsiness during the day even after getting enough sleep at night. But most of the time, it’s often overlooked and neglected.
In severe cases, you may suddenly fall asleep during the day and be seriously injured, so be careful. 기면증 자가진단
Today, I will find out what narcolepsy is, how to treat narcolepsy, and how to self-diagnose narcolepsy. 좋은뉴스
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What is Narcolepsy?
What is narcolepsy
What is narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is one of the sleep disorders, along with insomnia and insomnia.
Narcolepsy is a symptom of unbearable drowsiness during the day even after getting enough sleep at night, making daily life difficult.
It is important to know the symptoms of narcolepsy and how to prevent it because the exact cause and cure method that causes narcolepsy have not been developed.
Narcolepsy is manifested by various symptoms such as sleep paralysis or daytime sleepiness, and is known to be caused by abnormalities in the autoimmune system and lack of hypocretin.
Narcolepsy usually occurs in the teens, but it is often neglected as a symptom caused by exam life or physical fatigue.
The difference between narcolepsy and hypersomnia
Narcolepsy and hypersomnia have similar symptoms of sleeping a lot, but unlike hypersomnia, where you are tired and sleepy in everything, in the case of narcolepsy, there is a difference in that sleep attacks in which you fall asleep suddenly appear.
In addition, narcolepsy differs from hypersomnia in that when you sleep for about 20 minutes during the daytime, the arousal state is maintained for about 2 hours.
The difference between narcolepsy and starvation
People often confuse hunger with narcolepsy. If narcolepsy is a neurogenic sleep disorder caused by an abnormality in the central nervous system, gluttony is when blood is concentrated in the stomach to digest food, reducing the amount of blood going to the brain, resulting in drowsiness.
narcolepsy causes
The cause of narcolepsy is not known exactly, but it is known that it is caused by a lack of hypocretin, a substance that maintains normal wakefulness in the hypothalamus of the brain, and an abnormality in the autoimmune system.
It is said that more than 85% of patients with narcolepsy have abnormalities in the white blood cell antigen complex related to the autoimmune system.
Hypocretin is a substance secreted by the hypothalamus of the brain, and is a substance that plays a role in maintaining wakefulness during the day.
When these cells decrease, drowsiness comes and symptoms of not being able to sleep at night occur. Hypocretin is also known to inhibit REM sleep (the dreaming stage).
In the case of the general public, it takes about 90 minutes for REM sleep to come out, but narcolepsy patients often come out of REM sleep within 15 minutes after falling asleep.
narcolepsy symptoms
The four most typical symptoms of narcolepsy are daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis, cataplexy, and hallucinations accompanying falling asleep or waking up.
daytime sleepiness
narcolepsy symptoms daytime sleepiness
narcolepsy symptoms daytime sleepiness
Daytime sleepiness is excessive daytime sleepiness and is the most common and representative symptom of narcolepsy.
People with severe daytime sleepiness find it difficult to stay awake during the day due to daytime sleepiness, no matter how much they get a good night’s sleep.
cataplexy
Cataplexy is triggered by emotion, such as laughter or a joke.
It means a sudden loss of muscle strength, and it is known that 50% to 70% of patients with narcolepsy suffer from the symptom.
It can range from mild symptoms that are limited to specific parts of the face, such as the chin or eyelids, to systemic symptoms that cover the entire body.
sleep paralysis
Symptoms of narcolepsy
Symptoms of narcolepsy
Sleep paralysis is a symptom that is often referred to as being pressed with scissors. For a short time, muscle strength is lost, and you may feel unable to move, speak, or breathe.
Sleep paralysis and hallucinations are symptoms that are so common that about 60% of patients with narcolepsy experience them.
hallucinations
Dreamlike hallucinations of vivid scenes may occur when falling asleep or waking up. These hallucinations last about 1 minute to 15 minutes, and there are cases where auditory hallucinations and hallucinations that can even feel sounds or touch appear.
There are many cases where people come across scary scenes or scenes that are not easily encountered in everyday life, so they are often greatly surprised.
How to test for narcolepsy
If symptoms of narcolepsy appear, polysomnography, which is performed while sleeping at night, and sleep latency recovery test, which is performed during the day, are performed.
Polysomnography is a test method that continuously observes and records brain waves, breathing, and muscle functions during night sleep.
In the case of narcolepsy patients, the time of onset of sleep is reduced.
Compared to REM sleep, which usually appears after about 90 minutes after sleep, patients with narcolepsy have a characteristic that REM sleep appears very quickly after sleep within 15 minutes.
The Sleep Latency Latency Test is also known as the Daytime Sleep Test or MSLT.
The test is performed by taking a nap for about 15 to 20 minutes during the day when you are normally awake, waking up for 2 hours, and then taking a nap 4 to 5 times.
It is a test method that is repeated every 2 hours to evaluate REM sleep after sleep incubation period and wakefulness.
This test can be said to be the most important test for narcolepsy diagnosis.
After performing polysomnography first, take a nap every 2 hours from the morning of the next day, and if the average sleep latency of 5 times is less than 8 minutes and REM sleep is seen more than 2 times after waking up, narcolepsy can be diagnosed.
How to treat narcolepsy
narcolepsy treatment
narcolepsy treatment
In fact, narcolepsy is one of the rare and incurable diseases that are difficult to cure.
If narcolepsy is left untreated, it progresses further, resulting in sudden falling asleep during daily life, and exposure to the risk of accidents.
However, it is said that the majority of cases are neglected simply because they think it is a disease that causes a lot of sleep.
If you have symptoms of narcolepsy, you can maintain a normal life if you diagnose at the right time and take appropriate medication and behavioral treatment.
Narcolepsy is treated with medication that promotes the secretion of dopamine, a hormone that maintains wakefulness, or with antidepressants that suppress REM sleep.
Daytime sleepiness affects the time the patient is active, so the duration of the drug’s effect is considered important in drug treatment.
Recently, there is also a drug for narcolepsy that maintains the effect for 10 to 15 hours.
How to Prevent Narcolepsy
It is important for narcolepsy patients to maintain a regular sleep cycle and wake cycle above all else to prevent narcolepsy.
Sleep hygiene is also thoroughly followed, and if necessary, taking a nap for about 20 to 30 minutes at the most sleepy time can keep you refreshed for about 2 hours.
In addition, it is recommended to avoid drinking alcohol or exercising at night, and to refrain from excessive meals that cause drowsiness before driving.
How to self-diagnose narcolepsy
How to self-diagnose narcolepsy
How to self-diagnose narcolepsy
Before taking a narcolepsy test, you may suspect narcolepsy through self-diagnosis.
Narcolepsy self-diagnosis consists of 8 items.
I get sleepy when I sit and read a book.
I get sleepy when I watch TV.
I feel sleepy when I sit still in a public place, such as a movie theater or conference room.
As a passenger, I get sleepy after riding public transportation for about an hour without taking a break.
I feel sleepy when I lie down comfortably during my afternoon break.
I feel sleepy when sitting and talking to other people.
I feel sleepy when I sit quietly after lunch.
I feel sleepy when I am stuck in a traffic jam while driving in my car.
When assigning points for narcolepsy checks, 0 points are given for not being sleepy at all, 1 point for occasional sleepiness, 2 points for frequent drowsiness, and 3 points for frequent drowsiness.
If the total score is 11 or higher, the probability of narcolepsy is high.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis, it is certain that you go to the hospital and receive treatment from a specialist.