Hey there and welcome to Life Noggin.
Sleep.
For something so critical to life as we know it, sleep isn’t always the easiest thing
to get.
It’s not like you can go in the kitchen and pour yourself a big bowl of Sleepy-Os
to end off your day right.
I mean, I can always listen to Triangle Bob talk about his rock collection whenever i
need to get some shut eye, but not everyone has their own Triangle Bob lying around.
Sleep isn’t really on-demand.
It’s no wonder that a fourth of all Americans experience acute insomnia every year, according
to a 2018 study.
With sleep suggested to affect everything from brain and heart function to insulin sensitivity
and disease immunity, not getting some quality Zs is no small thing.
But, on the other side of the sheep-counting spectrum, there are some people that can’t
help but fall asleep anywhere, and at any time.
You guys have been asking for this video for a while and of course i'm taking about Narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that causes a person to have sudden attacks
of sleep, affecting their brain’s ability to control the body’s sleep-wake cycles.
It’s estimated that anywhere from 135,000 to 200,000 people in the United States alone
have this condition, making it more common than you might think.
The intense drowsiness that a person can experience with narcolepsy may come on suddenly, causing
people to unwillingly fall asleep even if they are in the middle of doing something.
It can happen while they are talking, eating, walking, or even driving a car.
Suffice to say that it can be pretty dangerous in certain scenarios.
What’s interesting is that a person with narcolepsy may experience certain amounts
of automatic behavior during an episode.
If, for example, you were writing a letter to your best friend and you fell asleep, you
might continue to keep on writing while you’re out.
Similar to someone who sleepwalks or talks in their sleep, there’s a good chance that
you won’t remember what you did after you wake up… that is until you look back down
at your letter.
Probably best to give it a good once over before putting that one in the mail,
Apart from these sudden sleep attacks, other possible symptoms of narcolepsy include hallucinations,
changes in REM sleep, and even a sudden loss of muscle tone, known as cataplexy.
Cataplexy can lead to weakness and cause a person to lose their ability to control their
muscles.
It’s usually brought on by sudden and intense emotions like excitement, fear, anger, or
stress.
Whether a person has cataplexy associated with their narcolepsy or not is the main determinant
of the type of narcolepsy that they have.
There are two main types of narcolepsy: Type 1, which was previously termed narcolepsy
with cataplexy, and Type 2, previously called narcolepsy without cataplexy.
Type 1 is usually based on having low levels of hypocretin, a brain hormone that regulates
sleep, or a person reporting cataplexy.
People with Type 2 usually don’t experience the sudden loss of muscle tone, and they also
generally have normal levels of hypocretin.
While there’s no cure for narcolepsy, medications and lifestyle changes can help a person manage
their symptoms.
Central nervous system stimulants and antidepressants can help out on the medicinal side, while
daily exercise, taking short naps, and avoiding smoking have shown to have some levels of
success in certain individuals.
Currently, research is being done on the genetic and environmental factors that may cause narcolepsy,
as well as on how abnormalities in the immune system may play a role in the development
of narcolepsy.
If you do have narcolepsy and you're comfortable with sharing your story,
let me know in the comment section below
Curious to know what would happen if you never changed your bed sheets?
Check out this video!
You know how you love your bed?
Well a lot of other things love it too.
Including fungi, bacteria, dirt, pollen, harsh chemicals, and even dust mites.
As always, my name is Blocko, this has been life noggin, don’t forget to keep on thinking