Narcolepsy
I will put more information here as I go. The definition that will eventually appear here will be a combination of what narcolepsy is for me, and what it can medically be defined as. Hopefully I'll be able to find some articles and reputable research on narcolepsy as well, but in the meantime I guess the standard site would be:
Wikipedia: Narcolepsy
Basically, there are four main symptoms that can surface with narcolepsy. Most people only have a few of the symptoms, as opposed to all of them. I have two and a bit.
They are:
Some of these symptoms could also be present in people who have really bad sleep as well, such as insomniacs. Because of this, narcolepsy can really only be diagnosed with a test that can monitor your brain waves in order to see what happens while you sleep. I always thought that I was tired because I was a student, or because I was out late for gigs, or whatever else. Actually it was because whenever I did sleep I would be in an almost perpetual state of REM, completely missing all the important time that should have been spent in deep sleep. You miss out on the good sleep and funny things start to happen!!! And here I am today.
Wikipedia: Narcolepsy
Basically, there are four main symptoms that can surface with narcolepsy. Most people only have a few of the symptoms, as opposed to all of them. I have two and a bit.
They are:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness. Basically where you want to fall asleep, all the time, anywhere and are constantly tired. I have this.
- Hallucinogenic dreams. These are dreams that are so clear that they can seem real, and sometimes upon reflection is can be confusing as to whether something really happened or was just part of a dream. I have this. I believe it's part of being in an almost constant state of REM during sleep - the dream state.
- Cataplexy. This is the symptom that most people associate with narcolepsy - complete loss of body tone and muscle function. Some people can have this completely, which means it affects their entire body so when the body wants to sleep, it just collapses. This is the 'bit' I was talking about... I don't have this throughout my entire body, but I do have it in my face. Doesn't sound all that scary, except when you're doing 110kms on the freeway and your eyelids decide that right now is the time to close... it gets scary. Luckily, they don't just SUDDENLY close... I have enough presence of mind to pull over and nap for half an hour or so.
- Sleep paralysis. This is something that can occur just before sleep or as you are just waking up. Apparently it can be quite terrifying - basically you are conscious but are completely unable to move, for a few seconds or a few minutes. I don't have this, thank goodness.
Some of these symptoms could also be present in people who have really bad sleep as well, such as insomniacs. Because of this, narcolepsy can really only be diagnosed with a test that can monitor your brain waves in order to see what happens while you sleep. I always thought that I was tired because I was a student, or because I was out late for gigs, or whatever else. Actually it was because whenever I did sleep I would be in an almost perpetual state of REM, completely missing all the important time that should have been spent in deep sleep. You miss out on the good sleep and funny things start to happen!!! And here I am today.