Narcolepsy Essay -- Disorder Sleep Sleepy Health Essays

Narcolepsy Sleepiness, whether due to sleep apnea, heavy snoring, idiopathic hypersomnolence, narcolepsy or insomnia from any number of sleep-related disorders, threatens millions of Americans' health and economic security (1). Perhaps somewhat most concerning of these disorders are those that allow sleep without having any control over when it happens-idiopathic hypersomnolence and narcolepsy. The two are closely related in that both cause individuals to fall asleep without such control, yet narcolepsy occurs without any dreaming during naps (2). For years, narcoleptic people have been falling asleep in corners, concerned, as they have given numerous attempts to try to stay focused and awake. But besides the excessive fatigue that people experience, there surely must be more that can be associated with causing such sleepiness among people at an uncontrolled level. There might especially not be a reason involving the I-function of the brain, as people are not aware of when necessarily they will fall into their deep sleep. Narcolepsy has been clinically defined as a chronic neurological disorder that involves the body's central nervous system (CNS). The CNS is basically like a "highway" of nerves that carries messages from the brain to other parts of the body. Thus, for people with narcolepsy, the messages about when to sleep and when to be awake sometimes hit roadblocks or detours and arrive in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is why someone who has narcolepsy, not managed by medications, may fall asleep while eating dinner or engaged in social activities-or even at times when they are so focused on being awake, yet they cannot be due to their narcoleptic nature. In many cases, however, diagnosis... ...r personal grief. Works Cited: 1)Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Narcolepsy, Insomnia and Other Causes of Daytime Fatigue http://members.tripod.com/~sleephealth/sleepdisorderssleepapnea.html 2)Better Sleep Now! http://www.dreamdoctor.com/better/narcolepsy/6.shtml 3)Center for Narcolepsy: Symptoms and Diagnosis http://www.med.stanford.edu/school/Psychiatry/narcolepsy/symptoms.html 4)Living With Narcolepsy http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/livingnarcolepsy.html 5)Sleepnet.com Apnea Forum http://www.sleepnet.com/apnea18/messages/434.html 6)Seratonin: The chemistry of Well-Being http://www.angelfire.com/hi/TheSeer/seratonin.html 7)Sleep Channel: Narcolepsy http://www.sleepdisorderchannel.net/narcolepsy/treatment.shtml 8)Sleep: Alternative and Integral Therapies http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies/Sleep/sleep_ins_food-and-diet.htm