Is Narcolepsy real? (1 Viewer)

[Lethargic Aptitude]

Is Narcolepsy real?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcolepsy Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, or dyssomnia, characterized by excessive sleepiness and sleep attacks at inappropriate times, such as while at work. People with narcolepsy often experience disturbed nocturnal sleep and an abnormal daytime sleep pattern, which often is confused with insomnia. Narcoleptics, when falling asleep, generally experience the REM stage of sleep within 5 minutes; whereas most people do not experience REM sleep until an hour or so later.[1

 

[X Factor]

It don't beli...zzzzzzzzz

 

[MoSurveyor]

Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system characterized by the brain's inability to control sleep-wake cycles. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience irresistible and sudden bouts of sleep, which can last from a few seconds to several minutes.

In narcolepsy, sleep episodes can occur at any time. People may unwillingly fall asleep while at work or at school, when having a conversation, playing a game, eating a meal, or, most dangerously, when driving an automobile or operating other types of machinery. In addition to daytime sleepiness, other major symptoms include cataplexy (a sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone that may be triggered by strong emotions), vivid dream-like images or hallucinations during sleep onset or when waking, and brief episodes of total paralysis, also during sleep onset or when waking. The loss of muscle tone in cataplexy and sleep paralysis involves the simultaneous loss of both extensor reflexes (such as a knee tap and resulting leg jerk) and flexor reflexes (such as lifting the foot and/or leg following a foot prick or stepping on a sharp object). Normally, this kind of reflex loss exists only during REM sleep.

Contrary to common beliefs, people with narcolepsy do not spend a substantially greater proportion of their time asleep during a 24-hour period than do normal sleepers. In addition to daytime drowsiness and uncontrollable sleep episodes, most individuals also experience poor sleep quality that can involve frequent awakenings during nighttime sleep, and other sleep disorders. For these reasons, narcolepsy is considered to be a disorder involving the loss of control of the normal boundaries between the sleeping and waking states.

Narcolepsy Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

 

[Lethargic Aptitude]

Narcolepsy Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

While all the other information at that link seems up to date and presented quit well (by well I mean they didnt concentrate on Cataplexy instead of Narcolepsy like the media always does) I found this paragraph to be a hypocritical.

Contrary to common beliefs, people with narcolepsy do not spend a substantially greater proportion of their time asleep during a 24-hour period than do normal sleepers. In addition to daytime drowsiness and uncontrollable sleep episodes, most individuals also experience poor sleep quality that can involve frequent awakenings during nighttime sleep, and other sleep disorders. For these reasons, narcolepsy is considered to be a disorder involving the loss of control of the normal boundaries between the sleeping and waking states.

Narcolepsy and its symptoms vary greatly among those that have the ill luck of having it. In that paragraph they admit to these variance's yet start by claiming that people with narcolepsy do not spend a substantially greater proportion of their time asleep during a 24-hour period than do normal sleepers. lol I beg to differ on that claim. Since I have severe Narcolepsy myself and my Mother had even more severe Narcolepsy (although it appears that Im headed to the same severity as her) and I can say that I definitely sleep more than the average person. Not that I want too but hey they got the part about it being uncontrollable correct.

In my experience most people really do not believe that Narcolepsy is anything uncontrollable by the patient. In fact in most cases they just think that there is nothing wrong other than the person probably just needs more sleep. Plus most Narcoleptics are accused of being lazy. I know that I have been called lazy on many occasions. I have even been told that Narcolepsy is not a disability.

Anyways thanx for the link outside of that one paragraph it is a very good link actually.

 

[Goshin]

I've known people who had it. Yes it is real.

 

[ReverendHellh0und]

I've known people who had it. Yes it is real.

And can be funny. rof

 

[MoSurveyor]

While all the other information at that link seems up to date and presented quit well (by well I mean they didnt concentrate on Cataplexy instead of Narcolepsy like the media always does) I found this paragraph to be a hypocritical.

Contrary to common beliefs, people with narcolepsy do not spend a substantially greater proportion of their time asleep during a 24-hour period than do normal sleepers. In addition to daytime drowsiness and uncontrollable sleep episodes, most individuals also experience poor sleep quality that can involve frequent awakenings during nighttime sleep, and other sleep disorders. For these reasons, narcolepsy is considered to be a disorder involving the loss of control of the normal boundaries between the sleeping and waking states.

Narcolepsy and its symptoms vary greatly among those that have the ill luck of having it. In that paragraph they admit to these variance's yet start by claiming that people with narcolepsy do not spend a substantially greater proportion of their time asleep during a 24-hour period than do normal sleepers. lol I beg to differ on that claim. Since I have severe Narcolepsy myself and my Mother had even more severe Narcolepsy (although it appears that Im headed to the same severity as her) and I can say that I definitely sleep more than the average person. Not that I want too but hey they got the part about it being uncontrollable correct.

In my experience most people really do not believe that Narcolepsy is anything uncontrollable by the patient. In fact in most cases they just think that there is nothing wrong other than the person probably just needs more sleep. Plus most Narcoleptics are accused of being lazy. I know that I have been called lazy on many occasions. I have even been told that Narcolepsy is not a disability.

Anyways thanx for the link outside of that one paragraph it is a very good link actually.

They probably mean people that don't have any sleep disorders when they say "normal sleepers". If you look at the numbers that's a pretty broad range of sleep time. 4.5-10.5 hours is well within average sleep times for the general populace and there are plenty of people that exceed even those broad bounds that have no medical conditions.