Understanding Narcolepsy; Symptoms, Causes And Treatments

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological sleeping disorder that affects the brain’s ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Patients who suffer from narcolepsy feel rested after waking up but may experience excessive daytime sleepiness. Typically individuals enter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep within ninety minutes, but patients who suffer from narcolepsy fall into REM sleep almost immediately into their sleep cycle, as well as periodically throughout the day.

Narcolepsy is usually diagnosed between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five but can be developed at any age. Narcolepsy affects approximately one in every two-thousand Americans and about three million worldwide.