Narcolepsy--What are the symptoms and is there help??

Question

I think my husband has narcolepsy. It's unbelievable. After about 1 minute in the car, 5 minutes into a movie, just sitting there talking I'll turn to him (after like 30 seconds) and he's out. He would be totally awake before too. I get so frustrated and impatient. At first I thought he was just tired out or stressed. But even when we're having fun, eating dinner, or he's gotten LOTS of sleep already he'll just pass out. It's sudden too. His head just flops over and he's asleep. And he doesnt remember it either. In fact, a lot of times he thinks I'm lying about it! It's gotten too embarassing to deal with, and I think he might need a doctor. He fell asleep at dinner at a friend's house! The problem is, if he's diagnosed no one will hire him. He won't be able to drive or do most things (even if it doesnt affect him in those situations). Does anyone know about this?? What can I do??

I didnt think it was related but he does have some super freaky dreams frequently (i thought he was wacko at first). And I dont know it it's related but he does sometimes talk in his sleep (usually about abnormal things like battles or cannabolism--neither of which is he very interested in when awake, so i imagine they go along with nightmares) and sometimes he will sleepwalk cause I'll find him in various parts of the house come morning. (this morning he was on the couch and yesterday he was on the living room floor, even though he went to bed both nights in the bedroom ON the bed). Weird huh? Sometimes I'm kinda worried he'll get hurt or something!

Answer 1

I have narcolepsy. Other answers have given you a lot of technical info. I'll give you some info based on my personal experiences.

Yes, there is help. Antidepressants will make the bad dreams go away and stimulants will ward off the sleepiness. As of yet, there is no cure.

I have a driver's license. I have never been involved in an accident caused by my falling asleep. I have, however, had to pull over and take a nap on the side of the road, generally at rest areas and picnic spots. I cannot and will not drive over three hours. I shouldn't drive over two. The key is to learn to recognize the warning signs of the onset of EDS (excessive daytime sleepiness) and manage them accordingly to ensure the safety of yourself and others. His license would only be taken if he causes an accident from falling asleep. Anyone who falls asleep driving can lose their license until they have had a complete medical exam to determine the cause.

Medical information is confidential, and there are no laws that state that you have to disclose that you have narcolepsy to every potential employer. What he cannot do is join the military or fly an airplane if he is diagnosed. I don't know if there is law against truckdriving, but there probably should be, at least for people who are not managing their symptoms with medication.

Unlike your husband, I do not sleep walk. It is not a symptom or even generally associated with narcolepsy. The symptoms of narcolepsy invove an inability to regulate the sleep / wake cycle, and the intrusion of REM sleep on the waking state. Sleepwalking does not occur during REM sleep. The body is temporarily paralyzed during REM to keep you from acting out your dreams. That is the basis of the sleep paraIysis symptom. Everyone experiences sleep paralysis while dreaming, but generally only someone with narcolepsy feels it because they experience REM during a waking state, That is the hypnagogic hallucination symptom. To me, this was the most emotionally traumatizing symptom, because my "dreams" were terrifying and seemed to be totally real. I could not distinguish my dreams from reality, except for the fact that I was paralized while it was happening, and things occurred that lay outside the realm of possibility. Still, in your mind, it is real. You see, hear, and feel things just like real life. It can tickle, it can hurt, it is absolutely horrible. I will spare you the details of my nightmares.

I do not have sleep apnea. Although the two disorders sometimes occur together, I don't believe it is as common as some people seem to believe. They are two entirely separate disorders.

My episodes of cataplexy are mild. (Loss of muscle control brought on by strong emotional stimuli) My head drops when I'm laughing really hard and I will literally fall out of my chair sometimes. My brother enjoys making me laugh when I am eating and drinking because he knows I will spit my drink everywhere, I cannot help it. He finds it hilarious. It is actually kind of funny. My knees get very weak when I'm angry or scared, but I do not collapse.

I was diagnosed at 16, but the onset of symptoms occurred when I was 14. Maybe because I got it at such a young age, I have developed a great deal of control over my sleepiness. I know tricks to keep myself awake when possible, and I recognize when it is not possible and I allow myself to sleep. I have managed my symptoms without medication since I became pregnant with my daughter. She is 9 years old now. This is not necessarily out of choice. Neurologists are expensive, the medications are even more expensive, and the side effects suck. I'm referring to ritalin. There are new meds out now that I have not yet been so fortunate as to try.

No one will insure your husband if he is diagnosed with narcolepsy, except for group policies, who have to accept anyone in the group. That is the only way that I have insurance now, but my insurance will not cover anything relating to sleep disorders: meds, testing, office visits, nothing. If he already has insurance, though, they might not drop him. I wouldn't know about that because I didn't have insurance when I was diagnosed. Baptist Medical Hospital in Little Rock, AR performed the test for me free of charge, and my diagnosing physician only charged $10, bless him.

My questions for you are:

Does your husband experience sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations, where he cannot tell that what is occurring is a dream?

Does he experience to some degree loss of muscular control when experiencing strong emotions such as anger, fear, joy, or just laughing really hard at something funny?

How soon upon falling asleep does he begin to dream? (Truly dream, not just the random trail of thoughts you float off into when your dozing off.) Normal people do not enter the REM stage for about 90 minutes after falling asleep. Narcoleptics enter it immediately. That is the basis of the MSLT tests, a series of five or more tests (hooked up to EEG electrodes) spaced thirty minutes apart where you are told to go to sleep to see how fast you go to sleep and how fast you begin to dream.

A lot of things can cause excessive daytime sleepiness. But from what I've learned from my research, at least one other symptom of the narcolepsy tetrad has to be present before a neurologist can diagnose narcolepsy.

If your husband does have narcolepsy, please be compassionate with him. It is embarrassing to us, too. It is miserable always being sleepy. Don't get angry with him or call him lazy. Those things really hurt. Try to help him discover ways to recognize the onset and how to manage it. (Just getting up and walking around does wonders sometimes.) I drink entirely too much coffee!!! :)

Answer 2

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience fleeting urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, patients fall asleep for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. In rare cases, some people may remain asleep for an hour or longer.

Narcoleptic sleep episodes can occur at any time, and thus frequently prove profoundly disabling. People may involuntarily fall asleep while at work or at school, when having a conversation, playing a game, eating a meal, or, most dangerously, when driving an automobile or operating other types of potentially hazardous machinery. In addition to daytime sleepiness, three other major symptoms frequently characterize narcolepsy: cataplexy, or the sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone; vivid hallucinations during sleep onset or upon awakening; and brief episodes of total paralysis at the beginning or end of sleep.

Answer 3

The only thing you could do would be to take him to a specialist to make a dignozis. But, this is what I have found for you:
Narcolepsy is a frequent disorder: it is the second leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness diagnosed by sleep centers after obstructive sleep apnea. Studies on the epidemiology of narcolepsy show an incidence of 0.2 to 1.6 per thousand in European countries, Japan and the United States, a frequency at least as large as that of Multiple Sclerosis. In many cases, however, diagnosis is not made until many years after the onset of symptoms. This is often due to the fact that patients consult a physician after many years of excessive sleepiness, assuming that sleepiness is not indicative of a disease.
And these are the syimptoms:
Symptoms
The main symptoms of narcolepsy are excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal REM sleep: Narcolepsy is not only a serious and common medical problem, it also offers basic sleep researchers a unique opportunity to gather new information on the central mechanisms regulating REM sleep and alertness. Since the 1960s it has been known that several of the disabling symptoms of narcolepsy, such as sleep paralysis, cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations, are pathological equivalents of REM sleep. In sleep paralysis, a frightening symptom considered to be an abnormal episode of REM sleep atonia, the patient suddenly finds himself unable to move for a few minutes, most often upon falling asleep or waking up. During hypnagogic hallucinations, patients experience dream-like auditory or visual hallucinations, while dozing or falling asleep. Cataplexy, a pathological equivalent of REM sleep atonia unique to narcolepsy, is a striking, sudden episode of muscle weakness triggered by emotions. Typically, the patient's knees buckle and may give way upon laughing, elation, surprise or anger. In other typical cataplectic attacks the head may drop or the jaw may become slack. In severe cases, the patient might fall down and become completely paralyzed for a few seconds to several minutes. Reflexes are abolished during the attack.

This is the link I have found for you:
http://med.stanford.edu/school/Psychiatry/narcolepsy/symptoms.html
I hope this will help you.

Answer 4

It could be, but the Narcoleptic Tetrad consist of a few other symptoms such as Cataplexy with emotional stimuli...hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis and of course the uncontrolable urge to sleep(EDS). Get the doc to order an initial sleep study possibly followed by an MSLT (multiple sleep latency test) to find out

Answer 5

maybe you are really that boring....... just kidding... he may have a sleep disorder.... many people have them and either deny it or do not realize it. Often people sleep allot but are still always tired because the quality of their sleep. Try to talk him into having a sleep study done. Most towns have a sleep study center, your family Dr. can refer you to one. Your insurance will pay for it.

Answer 6

he needs to go to a sleep clinic, he likely is not breathing right when hes sleeping and that is robbing him of proper rest. just look narcolepsy up on the net,

Answer 7

Brain injury of some kind – get him to a doctor fast.

Answer 8

The serious answer: have him see an MD
The funny answer: Try not to bore him to sleep