Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that is a blend of Greek terms narkosis (“a dulling”) and lepsis (“to overwhelm”). It was coined by Jean Baptiste Edouard Gelineau in the year 1880.
The age of onset is 15-25 years, with a steady course throughout life. The rate of prevalence is around 1 per 2500.
Diving into Narcolepsy
Jyoti is experiencing uncontrollable daytime sleepiness for almost a month now. When she wakes up, suddenly she is unable to move her body, though she is in a conscious state. At other times, when she tries to sleep, she feels that she is falling down, in a void, in a spiral motion. She is in distress, and it has entered her daily life. It is affecting her work, her relationship with her husband. Life already is a struggle for all of us.
Narcolepsy has added an insult to injury. Sometimes, peaceful sleep at night is truly a blessing.
The classical tetrad of symptoms is:
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Sleep attacks (more prevalent): When an individual is unable to resist a ‘nap’, from which the person awakens refreshed, is known as a sleep attack. These attacks can happen even while driving.
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Cataplexy: This is marked by a reduced muscle tone in the different body parts, e.g., jaw drop, or paresis of all skeletal muscles of the body bringing about a fall. This might be triggered by sudden emotion.
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Hallucinations: Vivid perceptions, usually dreamlike, are fear-inducing. They are of two types- hypnopompic (at wakefulness) and hypnogogic (falling asleep).
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Sleep paralysis (less prevalent): This occurs either at awakening in the morning (generally) or the onset of sleep. The individual is conscious but unable to move his body.
Symptoms of Narcolepsy can also be memorized by an acronym, which is also a popular game you must have heard about, if not played – CHESS
Treatment
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Medications
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Scheduled naps in the afternoon.
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Imagery rehearsal therapy to lessen and manage hypnagogic hallucinations;
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Cognitive therapy and guided meditation
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Jacobson Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique click here
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Nutrition and diet plan
While narcolepsy is an unwanted interruption in our occupied lives, everything isn’t lost. Narcolepsy can be managed by taking psychotherapy sessions from an expert psychologist, and life, will go on, slow and steady, and sometimes sleepy.
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Rahul Verma is a psychologist at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about him by clicking here
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.