Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder caused by a lack of hypocretin, the brain hormone responsible for regulating sleep. This disease is characterized by causing excessive drowsiness during the day, affecting people’s daily routine. Next, Dr. Pablo Zumaeta, neurologist at Clinica Ricardo Palma, gives us more information on the subject

Diagnosis

It is diagnosed by the story that the person tells and through a sleep study, which measures for six hours the ease of transitioning from alertness to light sleep.

Symptoms

For the diagnosis of narcolepsy, it is necessary that the person, generally adolescents or twenty-somethings, evidence the following symptoms:

• Irresistible desire to sleep, for example while walking
• Hallucinations, such as hearing voices, seeing images, among others
• Feeling for 30 to 60 seconds that you cannot move despite being awake
• Cataplexy, consists of a sudden and intense muscle relaxation that can cause the person to fall to the ground or not be able to keep the head up for seconds or minutes

What should a person suffering from narcolepsy do?

People with narcolepsy develop strategies to cope with their day to day, such as short naps after meals, avoiding eating too many foods rich in carbohydrates, establishing a sleep routine.

Remember that a diagnosis by a specialist is important so that he can provide you with adequate treatment, which in this case is usually permanent in most cases.

Dr. Pablo Zumaeta
Neurologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma