Learn how to cope with Narcolepsy without seeing doctors!
Narcolepsy, cataplexy, sleep paralysis and excessive
daytime sleepiness are well explained in this article by
Ebe Heng. she covers both behavioural and medical
therapies to ease these distressing complaints.
Title: Learn how to cope with Narcolepsy without seeing doctors!
Author: Ebe Heng
Article:
Narcolepsy is a malfunction of the sleep/wake regulating
system
in the brain which until recently was of unknown origin.
Its
most common manifestation is Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
and
sleep attacks.
Symptoms of Narcolepsy includes:
a. Temporary paralysis on falling asleep or awakening
(sleep
paralysis).
b. Hallucinations - vivid images or sounds - on falling
asleep
or awakening (Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations
respectively).
c. Moments (but sometimes extended periods) of trance-like
behaviour in which routine activities are continued on
"auto-pilot" (Automatic behaviour).
d. Interruption of night-time sleep by frequent waking
periods,
marked by quickening of the heart rate, over- alertness,
hot
flushes, agitation, and an intense craving for sweets.
Is there any treatment?
There is no cure for narcolepsy, but the symptoms can be
controlled with behavioral and medical therapy. The
excessive
daytime sleepiness may be treated with stimulant drugs or
with
the drug modafinil. Cataplexy and other REM-sleep symptoms
may
be treated with antidepressant medications.
Medications will only reduce the symptoms, but will not
alleviate them entirely. Also, many currently available
medications have side effects. Basic lifestyle adjustments
such
as regulating sleep schedules, scheduled daytime naps and
avoiding "over-stimulating" situations may also help to
reduce
the intrusion of symptoms into daytime activities.
Drug Therapy
Stimulants are the mainstay of drug therapy for excessive
daytime sleepiness and sleep attacks in narcolepsy
patients.
These include methylphenidate (Ritalin®), modafinil,
dextroamphetamine, and pemoline. Dosages of these
medications
are determined on a case-by-case basis, and they are
generally
taken in the morning and at noon. Other drugs, such as
certain
antidepressants and drugs that are still being tested in
the
United States, are also used to treat the predominant
symptoms
of narcolepsy.
The major side effects of these stimulants are
irritability,
anxiety, quickened heart rate, hypertension, substance
abuse,
and disturbances of nocturnal sleep. Methylphenidate and
dextroamphetamine are known to cause hypertension. A
common side
effect of modafinil is headache, usually related to dose
size,
which occurs in up to 5 percent of patients. Pemoline
poses a
very low but noticeable risk for liver complication. None
of
these stimulants influence the occurrence of narcolepsy’s
auxiliary symptoms and usually are not used to treat them.
Modafinil does not carry the addiction potential that
methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine do. In fact, the
latest
development in treatment is a new modafinil drug called
Provigil®, which does not act as a stimulant and so does
not
produce side effects like anxiety and irritability.
Provigil’s
therapeutic effects have been observed in maintenance of
wakefulness test research, where patients have tripled
their
wakefulness.
Although there is no cure for narcolepsy, excessive
daytime
sleepiness, sudden sleep onset, and cataplexy. Proper
sleep
hygiene,which includes a consistent sleep schedule and the
avoidance of shift work and alcohol, can drastically
reduce the
ill impact of narcolepsy.
And often, patients with narcolepsy feel refreshed after a
short
nap; therefore, taking short scheduled naps may greatly
benefit
patients combatting excessive daytime sleepiness.
About the author:
How important is a good night sleep worth to you? Ebe Heng
has
co-created the ultimate, informative and useful sleep
dirctories
for anyone with any sleep related problems. Rid that
insomnia
bug and get the sleep that you deserved! Check out=>
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