Many of us wish on a daily basis that we wish we could just get more sleep. There never seems to be enough hours in the day, and the hours allotted for sleep are often far less than the 8 hours that are recommended by doctors. However, for some people, the opposite is true. Narcolepsy is a serious form of sleep disorder that is caused by a neurological disorder (Chanin 1). When a person is affected by narcolepsy, they are unable to control when their body falls asleep. While most people feel sleepy but are able to fight it off with a cup of coffee or a brisk walk, a person who has narcolepsy will feel uncontrollable bouts of sleepiness throughout the day. The sudden attacks will cause them to suddenly fall asleep despite, despite whether they are in the middle of a conversation, standing-up, or even driving a car.
People suffering from narcolepsy have different sleep cycles than those that do not. Normally, a person who falls asleep will go into an initial sleep stage, which is a lighter form of sleep, before entering into the deep sleep cycle known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement). When a narcoleptic falls asleep, they typically skip the initial sleep stage all together and immediately enter into deep REM sleep (Chanin 1). People suffering from narcolepsy suffer from both physical and psychological effects, making it very difficult for them to live normal and happy lives.
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There are several physical symptoms that are associated with narcolepsy and used to make a clinical diagnosis. A person suffering from narcolepsy will feel sleepy, unenergetic, exhaustion and even depression. This symptom is known as EDS – excessive daytime sleepiness Chanin 1). EDS causes a person to feel the symptoms of exhaustion despite the fact that they have had ample sleep and have not had any physical exertion.
Cataplexy is another physical symptom of the muscles that affects people suffering from narcolepsy. With cataplexy, there is an overall loss of muscle tone and control that leads to feelings of extreme weakness. This causes narcoleptics to suffer from slurred speech and to be physical weak. In extreme cases, intense emotions –both pleasure and fear – can trigger a total body collapse. While cataplexy is a physical symptom, it can have profound psychological effects on the narcoleptic as well. Loss of muscle tone can lead to a poor body image. Daniels et al (2008) found that almost 40% of those questioned said that loss of the ability to play sports, a popular physical activity, was one of the biggest impacts on their lives (Daniels et al 79).
Another physical symptom that can have profound psychological implications is hallucinations. Hallucinations are delusional phenomena that are so real, vivid and frightening that the sufferer cannot tell the whether the experience is real or not. For the narcoleptic, the hallucinations they suffer from are typically extremely vivid and often frightening as well (Chanin 1). Hallucinations not only cause emotional trauma to the sufferer, but they are also a cause for embarrassment. Sleep paralysis is another form of hallucination that narcoleptics often suffer from. This symptom causes the mind to wake-up but the body stays asleep; the dissociation makes the sufferer feel as if they are completely paralyzed and unable to move their body (Chanin 1). While sleep paralysis only lasts a few minutes, it can be an extremely frightening and disconcerting experience.
The physical symptoms of narcolepsy are debilitating in themselves but the psychological and social problems they lead to are often much worse. In the study done by Daniels et al, researchers found that over half of those questioned were depressed to some extent (Daniels et al. 78). The depression came from a number of factors, including the difficulty in school, with the ability to work and making and keeping interpersonal relationships. Those questioned said that their physical symptoms limited the type of work they were able to do. Most said they felt as if they were not able to accomplish their personal life goals (Daniels et al 78-79). Those suffering from narcolepsy feel separated from their peers due to their inability to concentrate, to accomplish tasks, and to participate in physical activities, all which lead to depression and loss of self-esteem.
There is unfortunately no cure at this time for narcolepsy. However, there are some drugs that are effective in alleviating at least some of the symptoms of narcolepsy. EDS can be treated with various amphetamine-like stimulants (Chanin 2). These drugs stimulate the nervous system, causing it to be alert and wakeful. Cataplexy is typically treated with antidepressant drugs (Chanin 2). A newer drug that has recently been released for the treatment of cataplexy is Xyrem. This drug helps narcoleptics to sleep better during the night, which can make them more wakeful, less sleepy, during the day.
The idea behind treating narcoleptic symptoms with drugs is that even though they cannot end the symptoms for good, they can help the narcoleptic to lead a more normal life, which can alleviate feelings of depression and help increase their self-esteem. Daniels et al, however, found this to be false. They found that the patients they questioned were taking drugs to manage cataplexy and EDS significantly lower scores when it came to quality of life (Daniels et al 79). Their results showed that the treatments were not effective in restoring the patients’ health status to normal and that they still suffered from depression, most at even higher levels than those not being treated with medication. Some patients reported that the side effects from their medications were even worse than the symptoms that they were supposed to be treating (Daniels et al 79).
Narcolepsy is a disorder that is still poorly understood by medical science. Current treatment options can only alleviate symptoms for short period of times and cannot completely restore a patient to a normal, healthy life. More research is needed in the future to find an effective treatment for this debilitating and depressing disease.
