Causes, Treatment, and Improvement Methods for Narcolepsy Symptoms

Causes and Treatment of Narcolepsy Symptoms

and Improvement Methods

Even if you have slept well at night, you may have experienced unbearable sleepiness during the day that made it hard to focus on work or study.

In particular, at work, you may feel embarrassed when yawning keeps coming on against your will. In such cases, the symptoms may not simply be due to lack of sleep, but may occur because of narcolepsy.

Today, let’s look at what causes narcolepsy, as well as narcolepsy symptoms, treatment, and ways to improve the condition.

Yawning is an unconscious breathing movement that occurs when you are getting sleepy or bored, but if it happens too frequently, it may be a sign of narcolepsy.

Human sleep is divided into non-REM sleep and REM sleep, and in a normal night of sleep, 4 to 6 cycles repeat.

Narcolepsy refers to a condition in which a person experiences excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal REM sleep expression, that is, symptoms such as hallucinations or sleep paralysis when falling asleep or waking up.

The exact cause of narcolepsy has not been clearly identified, but it is generally known to be due to abnormal secretion of hypocretin, which is necessary for maintaining sleep and wakefulness.

It is believed to occur due to an abnormality in the REM sleep suppression mechanism, and is thought to be caused by a central nervous system problem that prevents the body from regulating when to sleep and wake.

As for narcolepsy symptoms, even after getting enough sleep at night, unbearable sleepiness can come on during the day and cause inconvenience.

Common narcolepsy symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks.

In the case of cataplexy, you may feel as if the jaw loses strength or the head and neck become weak, and it occurs along with a sudden loss of muscle strength.

In addition, you may suddenly fall asleep in situations where you need to concentrate, and symptoms such as repeating simple actions that you do not remember may appear.

If you have narcolepsy, it can be difficult to sleep well at night and the quality of sleep may decline, so it is important to treat and improve the symptoms.

For diagnosis of narcolepsy, polysomnography and daytime tests are performed, and if it is diagnosed, treatment is provided with medication.

In the case of drug treatment, treatment is carried out according to the individual’s symptoms, and stimulants may be used to improve daytime sleepiness.

Antidepressants are also sometimes used for cataplexy and sleep paralysis, and in addition to medication, symptoms can be improved through lifestyle correction and psychological counseling.

To get regular and sufficient sleep at night, you should avoid alcohol, smoking, and excessive caffeine intake, and avoiding looking at your smartphone before bed is helpful for improving symptoms.

Today, we looked at what causes narcolepsy, along with the narcolepsy symptoms that may accompany it, as well as treatment and improvement methods. Please use this information as a reference.