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Narcolepsy is a neurological condition which causes a malfunction with the sleep/wake regulating system in the brain, the most common side effect of this disorder is excessive sleeping and sleep attacks.

One of the main characteristics of the condition is the intrusion of rapid eye movement (REM). In non-narcoleptic people, rapid eye movement sleep doesn’t occur until sleep has been underway for some time. However, in people with narcolepsy, REM sleep can happen the instance sleep occurs.

Symptoms of Narcolepsy:

• Temporary paralysis on falling asleep or sudden awakening
• Hallucinations - images or sounds - on falling asleep or awakening (The medical term for these symptoms are Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations respectively)
• Moments of trance-like behaviour in which routine tasks are continued on “auto-pilot” (Automatic behaviour)
• Frequent interruption of night-time sleep by waking periods, often with a quickening of the heart rate, over-alertness, hot flushes, agitation, and intense cravings

Narcolepsy usually begins in adolescence but some cases have been noted earlier or as late as middle age. The type and severity of symptoms can vary from person to person and may either improve or worsen with time.
If your parents or grandparents suffered with narcolepsy, the latest research indicates that you may be up to 10 times more likely to suffer from the condition yourself.

Up until the 1990s very little was known about this disorder and only after a great deal of research can scientists finally shed some light on this rare condition.

The newly discovered neurotransmitter orexin (also known as hypocretin)in the brain is thought to be involved in the control of wakefulness and sleep. It was first discovered that mice with very little to no levels of orexin were developing sleep attacks and at the same time a group in California found that dogs with narcolepsy have a faulty receptor for orexin. This led to the belief that orexin was the main cause of narcolepsy in humans and this was proven in 2000 when doctors found that the levels of orexin in the cerebrospinal fluid (the liquid which bathes the brain and spinal cord) was very low or even undetectable in most patients with narcolepsy.

Treatment of EDS (Excessive Daytime Sleepiness)

Until relatively recently EDS was only treated with amphetamine-ilke central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. The compound most commonly used in the UK is dexamphetamine sulphate (dexamfetamine sulphate, Dexedrine). Other possibilities are methylphenidate (Ritalin), the most commonly used drug in the USA, and mazindol (Teronac). Unlike, dexamphetamine, Both of these latter two medications are licensed for the treatment of narcolepsy.

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Narcolepsy usually begins in adolescence

If your parents or grandparent suffered with narcolepsy, you may be up to 10 times more likely to suffer from the condition yourself.

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