Narcolepsy essays

Narcolepsy essays An article in the Scientific American, by Jerome M. Siegel, focused on a dangerous sleeping disorder called Narcolepsy. A Narcoleptic has Symptoms such as cataplexy, which is the loss of skeletal muscle tone, and always feeling sleepy during daytime hours. The people suffering from this disorder tend to feel as if they hadn't gone to sleep for 48 hours. In addition, they sleep poorly at night. Laughter, embarrassment, sudden anger, social interactions with strangers, and sexual intercourse may trigger a cataplectic attack. A Narcoleptic may even fall asleep at the most dangerous times. For example, driving a car with this untreated disorder puts a person at high risk of an automobile accident. The disorder makes it difficult for them to focus on specific things, such as schoolwork or work in the workplace. Sleep paralysis and hypnagognic hallucinations are among two other symptoms of narcolepsy. Sleep paralysis is an ability to move when you fall asleep or awaken. This occurs daily. On the other hand, hypnagogic hallucinations are dreamlike experiences during waking that sometimes incorporate elements of the environment. These symptoms occur when narcoleptics are most sleepy. In addition, not every person suffers from the symptoms the same way. Also, this article pointed out that Narcolepsy affects between one and one thousand and one and two thousand people in the U.S. In contrast, one in 600 in Japan to one in 500,000 in Israel. It also stated that the environment and ethnic backgrounds are the reason for the number differences of these countries. The first signs of Narcolepsy appear in the teens or 20's. The symptoms do get worse after a few years and then they plateau. The causes or Narcolepsy is linked to a disruption of the sleep control mechanism in our brain. Our sleep cycle normally has two stages, Rapid-Eye movement Sleep (REM), and Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (NREM). When were experienci ...