In late May of 2018, I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy with Cataplexy. It is a widely misunderstood disorder that extends beyond what you may have heard. Since several of my posts reference or center on my experiences with Narcolepsy, I have assembled this crash course from other sites that focus more exclusively on Narcolepsy. If you want additional information, check out those sites (listed below) they are excellent resources.
What is Narcolepsy?
“Narcolepsy is a neurological condition that prevents the brain from regulating sleep patterns normally.
It is a condition that is quite evenly spread throughout people of both sexes and different races, and symptoms usually come on gradually during the teens or early twenties (although this can sometimes occur in early childhood or later life).
Narcolepsy is often portrayed in popular culture as a disorder that causes people to fall asleep suddenly without warning. You have probably seen people with narcolepsy in movies or TV shows falling over asleep on the street or headfirst into bowls of soup. However, this depiction is rife with flaws.
The reality is that narcolepsy has many symptoms (not just sudden sleep episodes) with varying degrees of severity, and all of them stem from the same core issue: the regulation of REM sleep.” – falling-asleep.com
What is Cataplexy?
Cataplexy is a symptom of Narcolepsy, not a separate condition.
“Cataplexy is a sudden and uncontrollable muscle weakness or paralysis that comes on during the day and is often triggered by a strong emotion, such as excitement or laughter. Without much warning, the person loses muscle tone and can have a slack jaw, broken speech, buckled knees or total weakness in their face, arms, legs, and trunk. A person experiencing total cataplexy stays awake and is aware of what is happening, but cannot move. These episodes last up to a minute or two, and some people may fall asleep afterwards. The frequency of cataplexy episodes varies widely among people with narcolepsy. Some individuals avoid emotions that may bring on cataplexy.
The loss of muscle tone in cataplexy occurs because of the inability to regulate sleep and awake states — meaning that elements of each can overlap. During normal rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, there is a natural loss of muscle tone. In the case of cataplexy, that characteristic of REM sleep occurs suddenly during the day, causing weakness or full paralysis, even as the person remains awake during the episode.” -National Sleep Foundation
Personally, I experience full body cataplexy attacks 2-4 times a week while on medication.
What are the five main symptoms?
EDS or excessive daytime sleepiness, described here by mayoclinic.org: “People with narcolepsy fall asleep without warning, anywhere, anytime. For example, you may be working or talking with friends and suddenly you nod off, sleeping for a few minutes up to a half-hour. When you awaken, you feel refreshed, but eventually you get sleepy again. You may also experience decreased alertness and focus throughout the day. Excessive daytime sleepiness usually is the first symptom to appear and is often the most troublesome, making it difficult for you to concentrate and fully function.”
Disrupted nighttime sleep, “While individuals with narcolepsy are very sleepy during the day, they usually also experience difficulties staying asleep at night. Sleep may be disrupted by insomnia, vivid dreaming, sleep apnea, acting out while dreaming, and periodic leg movements.” –NINDS
Cataplexy, listed above.
Automatic actions, “Individuals with narcolepsy may experience temporary sleep episodes that can be very brief, lasting no more than seconds at a time. A person falls asleep during an activity (e.g., eating, talking) and automatically continues the activity for a few seconds or minutes without conscious awareness of what they are doing. This happens most often while people are engaged in habitual activities such as typing or driving. They cannot recall their actions, and their performance is almost always impaired. Their handwriting may, for example, degenerate into an illegible scrawl, or they may store items in bizarre locations and then forget where they placed them. If an episode occurs while driving, individuals may get lost or have an accident. People tend to awaken from these episodes feeling refreshed, finding that their drowsiness and fatigue has temporarily subsided.” -NINDS
Hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations, “Very vivid and sometimes frightening images can accompany sleep paralysis and usually occur when people are falling asleep or waking up. Most often the content is primarily visual, but any of the other senses can be involved.” -NINDS
This handy infographic from falling-asleep.com explains how Narcolepsy works in the brain:
I have written about my experience with Narcolepsy and how it impacts my life several times, listed here:
–The Chronic Part Of A Chronic Illness
–Narcolepsy Photo Shoot Full Album
–The Questions Everyone Is Afraid To Ask
One more important note is that if you see me using the acronym PWN it stands for “person with Narcolepsy.”
ThoughtOutlet 