Narcolepsy: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder mainly characterized by excessive daytime sleeping. It is a rare and serious condition, but can be cured if treated well. This condition affects 1 in 2000 people. Narcolepsy isn’t a deadly disease, but can create difficulty for affected people to manage their daily routines like school, jobs, etc. The symptoms of narcolepsy consist of excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep-related hallucinations, sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy), and sleep paralysis. All this makes it difficult for the person to perform tasks that require concentration and alertness. Moreover, sleep attacks can occur anytime and can last from a few minutes to hours.

What Causes Narcolepsy?

There are many factors that cause narcolepsy, one of them is the lack of hypocretin which is responsible for controlling sleep. Although there is proper knowledge about the exact cause of narcolepsy researchers believe that hypocretin could be the main factor behind it.

Hypocretin or orexin plays a significant role in controlling sleeping and waking. The hypocretin neurons in the hypothalamus are responsible for producing it, and they are specialized cells in the brain. Other than this, this neurotransmitter is also responsible for maintaining appetite, balancing energy, and regulating mood. People with narcolepsy contain decreased levels of hypocretin in the brain. As a result, this deficiency causes a disbalance in the sleeping routine, uncontrollable daytime sleeping, and sleep attacks. However, the lack of hypocretin is not always the cause behind narcolepsy but the combination of both environmental and genetic factors.

Also Read: Hallucinations: Types, Symptoms and Causes

The Environmental Factors

There is no exact cause of narcolepsy, Research studies suggest that both environmental and genetic factors may trigger narcolepsy conditions. In this section, we will understand how environmental factors trigger it. The presence of toxins can be a major factor in the development of narcolepsy in individuals with a genetic predisposition. The source of these toxins could be pollution, chemicals, and drugs. When exposed to certain toxins like pesticides, Heavy metals, solvents, and other substances have been connected to a higher chance of developing narcolepsy. Additionally, these toxins can damage the cells responsible for producing hypocretin and whenever the levels of this neurotransmitter get decreased, it results in narcolepsy.

Another factor that triggers stress and trauma. As chronic stress and trauma carry the potential to disrupt the body’s immune system and create The same that viruses cause. All this develops the risk of narcolepsy in the individual.

Also Read: Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Cognitive Thinking

The Genetic Factors

Narcolepsy is linked to specific gene variations as one of the main genetic factors. It has been seen that many of these gene variates increase the risk of narcolepsy. The immune system genes are where these variations are found, suggesting there may be an autoimmune component to narcolepsy. The HLA-DQB106:02 gene is one of the important genes when it comes to narcolepsy. In more than 90% of individuals diagnosed with narcolepsy, there is a connection between the HLA-DQB106:02 allele of the human gene and other HLA genes, like HLA-DQA1*01:02.

Another gene that has been linked with narcolepsy is the T-cell receptor alpha locus (TCRA) and purinergic receptor P2RY11 (P2RY11).
All these gene variations affect the immune system of an individual leading to an impact on hypocretin-producing neurons.
Family history also plays a crucial role in the genetic factor of narcolepsy. It becomes even more with cataplexy. Moreover, A strong connection exists between certain genetic variants that could make T-cells susceptible to react to the orexin-releasing neurons being stimulated by H1N1 influenza infection.

Also Read: Lack of sleep reduces happiness and increases anxiety: Study

Symptoms of Narcolepsy

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness:

The first symptom of narcolepsy is hypersomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness. This cannot be called a disorder but a symptom of some underlying issue. Excessive daytime sleepiness can have a bad impact on our daily lives. It becomes difficult for them to concentrate on things. Moreover, it also affects their alertness ability so tasks like driving and operating heavy machines would be tough for them.
The main cause of this symptom could be the lack of quality sleep at night or conditions like depression, or thyroid problems.

Sleep Paralysis:

Another symptom is sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis makes people temporarily unable to move or speak when they fall asleep. A normal part of the sleep cycle is when a person moves between sleep stages and their body stays in a state of muscle paralysis. In this condition, the person is aware of their surroundings however the body is in a paralyzed state which makes the individual feel helpless. Moreover, the intensity of this sleep paralysis can range from person to person, as for a few it could last from some seconds to minutes.

Also Read: Sleep Apnea: Definition, Symptoms and Treatment

Hallucinations:

Hallucinations are another symptom that an individual with narcolepsy faces. When a person falls asleep or wakes up, they often experience frightening visual or auditory perceptions. However, these hallucinations can arise from disruptions in the sleep pattern, and this circumstance is called sleep deprivation hallucinations. In this situation, The mind attempts to compensate for a lack of sleep by imagining desires whilst still wide awake.

Treatments For Narcolepsy

Medications:

Medications are one of the approaches to dealing with it. Modafinil and armodafinil, among different stimulants, are commonly used to increase wakefulness and decrease excessive daylight sleepiness. Other medications that are used to treat Sodium oxybate, also referred to as Xyrem. This medication can prevent cataplexy and immoderate daytime drowsing. It also enables enhanced sleep. However, depression, nausea, and dehydration are some of the side effects that this medication causes.

Also Read: Study Reveals Sleeping is Better for Weight Loss

Lifestyle modifications:

Apart from medicinal drugs, way of life changes additionally, plays a vital function in treating it. Taking a brief nap frequently can lessen excessive daytime sleeping and assist in making someone alert. To improve the best nighttime sleep, it’s crucial to exercise correct sleep hygiene, which incorporates avoiding caffeine and electronics before bedtime. Regular workout and maintaining a healthful diet is some other thing that allows one to manage narcolepsy. Doing a slight workout can build physical and mental well-being.