Neurological diseases >>>> Narcolepsy — what causes overwhelming drowsiness?

Narcolepsy — what causes overwhelming drowsiness?

Narcolepsy is a disorder of the nervous system associated with the development of overwhelming drowsiness during periods of wakefulness during the day. This rare disease develops during adolescence and, according to scientists, has hereditary prerequisites.

The hallmarks of narcolepsy are:

A sudden onset of sleepiness during the daytime,
Attacks of sudden weakness and temporary complete loss of muscle tone with preserved consciousness,
Hallucinatory visions during periods of falling asleep and awakening,
Sometimes short-term muscle paralysis on awakening,
Repeated falling asleep during the day.

Severe daytime sleepiness forces a person suffering from narcolepsy to fall asleep at a completely inappropriate time and in an inappropriate environment, but at the same time the person manages to take a comfortable sleeping position (sit down in a chair, on a chair, on a sofa). In a person experiencing an attack of narcolepsy, speech first slows down, the head drops to the chest, and deep sleep ensues. Attacks of irresistible drowsiness can accompany a person several times during the day, but after sleeping for a short time (from several seconds to several minutes), a person feels a surge of vigor and strength.

Narcoleptic seizures do not harm the body, except for those cases when they can create a traumatic situation for the person himself and the people around him during periods of his work associated with attentiveness and technically dangerous types of work. For this reason, people with narcolepsy are not allowed to drive vehicles, fly, operate machinery, work on machines, work related to responsibility for other people (educators, teachers, dispatchers, controllers of the operation of devices, etc.).

The most severe manifestation of narcolepsy is considered cataplexy - a temporary sharp loss of muscle tone without falling asleep, when a person can suddenly fall and get injured. At the time of a cataplexic attack, a person's lower jaw may drop, the muscles of the body relax, but the eye muscles remain in good shape, and the person can rotate his eyes. It is the troubles associated with cataplexy that make people seek help.

Treatment of narcolepsy is difficult due to the fact that the mechanisms of occurrence of narcoleptic seizures are not fully understood. Sleep scientists suggest that the hormone hypocretin, a neurotransmitter secreted by hypothalamic cells that maintains wakefulness, is responsible for the sudden onset of sleepiness with immobilization. Its deficiency disrupts smooth transitions and sleep cycles.

To prevent attacks of narcolepsy, drugs are used that affect the production of the hormone hypocretin, as well as drugs that support wakefulness during the daytime (Fenamin, Meridil). Much attention in the treatment of narcolepsy is paid to the daily regimen: a hard time for a night's sleep and a short nap (several times for 15-30-60 minutes). Substances that can disturb the rhythm of sleep (alcohol, caffeine, heavy food, etc.) are excluded from the use.

A person with narcolepsy needs to have a bracelet labeled "narcolepsy" to alert strangers to their attacks.