Free Essay

Narcolepsy Dangers

In:

Submitted By jdlara21
Words 345
Pages 2
Have you ever fallen asleep at the wheel? What about at football practice, or at work? Narcolepsy is a disorder that causes extreme sleepiness at all times of the day, and can also cause one to fall asleep at any given moment. Narcolepsy is a dangerous, inconvenient but treatable disorder. There are many dangers in this disorder. There have been many deaths by someone falling asleep randomly behind the wheel of a car, some due to exhaustion or old age, a lot due to the driver suffering from narcolepsy. Others have had their social lives ruined, narcolepsy being a disease many can’t understand and so have been abandoned by family and friends. Without these essential social skills, life would become increasingly difficult in their future. While dangerous, narcolepsy is also extremely inconvenient to have. Finding out you have narcolepsy is a challenge in itself, from what I have read through personal stories and recounts. Then comes the bills from the doctor appointments, and the medication. When a person diagnosed with narcolepsy then tries to work to pay off said bills, they find themselves sleeping 14-17 hours a day, and then falling asleep at work. This begins a vicious cycle. However, there IS treatment for narcolepsy. Xyrem helps those suffering from this disorder get a better nights sleep. Amphetamine-like drugs are used to help get rid of all the symptoms as a whole, if only temporarily. Stimulants give users the energy to get through the day. While most of these are not the healthiest options, there is treatment for narcolepsy and it is not a hopeless cause. Even if narcolepsy is not the most dangerous disorder, it is still an extreme danger to many. The dangers of this disorder are too extreme to ignore. Many of the people diagnosed with narcolepsy go on to be miserable most of their lives, due to not being able to work properly, think properly, and most of the time their body does not even function properly. Without the proper medication, people may suffer from this disorder forever.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Fear

...order for us to prevent our terrors to become a weakness. Being afraid of something can mean that you are facing a superior force in which you feel inferior to. Knowing you’re facing something bigger and more powerful can trigger that effect on your body and mind to try to abstain away from danger. One great example of fear is the one they instituted in North Korea. This nation is a ‘’population mind control by fear’’ (psyche truth). Despite the terrible and horrible living conditions, the North Korean people have never protested against their communist government. If you’re accused of political dissension the military will take you and your family into a labor camp, in which you will endure hard labor until the day of your death. They will never protest because they fear that 3 generations will be doomed to death (psyche truth). Another example of a group controlling or incorporating fear to achieve their personal goals is the news. They show how dangerous the outside world is and we’re intrigued by the fact there is something out there that will put our life into risk, this makes us want to know more about the subject, therefore; news will get more and higher ratings. Instead of fearing danger we find ourselves attracted and pulled into it which is odd to...

Words: 793 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Essay On Sleep Deprivation

...Sleep is essential for a healthy lifestyle, but as people get older and busier, the concept of sleep in our mind twists into a luxury instead of being a necessity. In reality, a multitude people all over the United States fail to realize that without a proper rest period, the body’s mental and physical state start to go on a downhill spiral, and they can start to experience many health issues such as fatigue and anxiety among many other conditions. Thankfully, this can all be avoided by acknowledging and using simple strategies that support adequate sleep. Surely, the most asked question is what exactly is sleep deprivation and what are the symptoms? Sleep deprivation is simply being unable to get the sufficient amount of sleep for long periods of time. The most common type of sleep deprivation has the symptoms of fatigue, excessive drowsiness, and irritability. There’s a distinct kind of lack of sleep called chronic sleep deprivation, and has dire symptoms such as malaise, depression, memory loss, and the development of psychosis. In severe cases it may eventually lead to death. This grave condition can be caused by abnormal stress levels, drug abuse, and overworking. (Davis) Lack of sleep has been associated with weight gain and obesity. In the article, 14 ways lack of sleep is causing weight gain, research has shown that tired people reach more for foods that are high on bad carbs. Examples of bad carbs are pastries, pasta, rice, white bread, and artificially sweetened...

Words: 752 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Research Paper

...Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is when an infant dies unexpectedly and without any known cause. This syndrome is the number 1 leading cause of death in infants. It is estimated that about 4,500 infants between 2 to 4 months die in the United States due to SIDS (Burke). The cause of death is still unknown, however, it is speculated that the reason the babies die of SIDS is because of their body’s lack of regulation such as controlling blood pressure, and regulating breathing and/or temperature (Burke). The time of death usually occurs when the baby is asleep. It is said that the baby’s sleeping positions are a possible risk factor for SIDS, such as stomach sleeping or co-sleeping with a parent. Other possible risks for SIDS are exposing...

Words: 600 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment

...he most common form of sleep apnea is “Obstructive Sleep Apnea”, a condition where the airways are blocked, causing breathing to be briefly interrupted multiple times during the night. Up until relatively recently, the standard of care for sleep apnea has been the CPAP machine, where air pressure is applied through a nasal mask. In 2006 the American Academy of Sleep Medicine included oral appliances as a first line of therapy for mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea and studies have repeatedly validated their efficacy. In Oral Appliance Therapy, an oral appliance is placed in the mouth and worn much like a mouth guard. It acts to keep your airways open. Oral appliances are also used to control snoring. Who provides Oral Appliance Therapy? Dentists with advanced training in the field of dental sleep medicine are recommended for the fitting and installing of oral appliances. Dr. Takacs is a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and has taken a residency on sleep medicine at Tufts University. Once it is determined you have sleep apnea, and its severity, she can equip you with a custom made oral appliance. What is Sleep Apnea? The word “apnea” originates from the Greek “without breathing.” Sleep apnea is a common but potentially dangerous sleep condition which is characterized by repeated pauses in your breathing during sleep. These pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and can occur thirty or more times per hour, and hundreds of times throughout...

Words: 1346 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Narcolepsy

...Robert Ford Narcolepsy Psychiatric Nursing MCI-ECPI Recent statistics show that almost one percent of the American population is affected by narcolepsy. Only a quarter of that one percent has been medically diagnosed with the disorder, whereas others continue to mistake the disorder for other illnesses such as epilepsy, depression, and side effects of different medicines. While many have not heard much about Narcolepsy, it’s just as common and proliferating as other common diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis and appears in every ethnic group in the world. To date, many people are unaware of what narcolepsy is and the side effects of such a quiet and mysterious disorder. If one experiences irrepressible periods of sleepiness through the day, even during your most intense activities today, then perhaps Narcolepsy is something to consider and something that’s need to be research so proper diagnosis and treatment can take place. This is hard to do, when Narcolepsy is so easily overlooked and are mistaken for other illnesses. But even when a person hears the word Narcolepsy, it’s doubtful that they are even sure of what it is or they possess any extensive knowledge on the disorder (Khan, Hazin, & Iqbal, 2009). Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder in which the brain lacks the ability to regulate normal sleep-wake cycles. People with narcolepsy experience uncontrollable spells of sleep at any time throughout the day. Individuals will fall...

Words: 1959 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Restorative Theory: Why Do We Sleep?

...Sleep Sleep. It is much more important than we think. According to Mayo Clinic and Sleep Disorder: An Alternative Guide, we spend about one third of our entire life asleep. Sleep is considered to be a state of unconsciousness to help us feel better. If we don’t sleep enough, many scientists then consider why sleep is necessary. It has been said that food is just as important as sleep, therefore, “sleep is food to the brain” (National Sleep Foundation). So the questions still remain. What is sleep? Why do we sleep? Up to date, scientists don’t really know much about “What is sleep” but we do know much more about it more now then we did back then. Sleep is considered to be a state of unconsciousness, which is used to help us to feel better. When we sleep and get a good nights rest, the next day we typically feel “more alert, more energetic, happier and better to functionn” (Why Do We Sleep, Anyways). According to the book Sleep Disorders: An Alternative Guide, sleep has been considered to be way much more crucial for us than any diet or exercise program. Sleep has been also found to promote overall “body rest and rejuvenation in neurons and/or body cells” (The Effects ). Sleep is also proposed for the body to “conserve energy, detoxicify the brain and control theremoregulation, the process which allows the human body to maintain its core temperature or better known as Homeostasis” (The Effects….). All this is happening within the body as we sleep. So the question is still there...

Words: 1188 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Research Paper On Narcolepsy

...Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that includes the body central nervous system. People with narcolepsy experience unexpected, overpowering assaults of sleepiness lasting from a few seconds to 30 minutes per attack. They might suffer dozens or hundreds of those attack every day. This can occur at any time and is often accompanied by a loss of muscle tone or partial paralysis, a condition referred to as cataplexy that is caused by an extreme emotion, commonly happiness, anger, sadness or surprises that are extreme to them. Narcolepsy patient can also be affected by sleep paralysis, a quick loss of muscle control that occurs as they are drifting to sleep or awakening this condition of narcoleptics can be not able to move or communicate to others....

Words: 296 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Narcolepsy Research Paper

...Narcolepsy, also known as hypnolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects one in every 3,000 people (NIH, 2016). It is a “condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep” (Merriam-Webster, 1995, p. 446). Individuals with this disease have excess daytime sleepiness (EDS), which is an uncontrollable obligation to sleep, as well as immediate rapid eye movement (REM) stage upon falling asleep. As a result, symptoms of narcolepsy include cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations, and comatose. According to Mieda and Sakurai (2016), the cause of narcolepsy is due to the “selective degeneration” of orexins (hypocretins) releasing neurons (p. 11). The hypothalamus is an endocrine gland that is responsible for regulating sleep, body temperature, appetite, sexual desire, and emotions. In homeostatic conditions, the hypothalamus releases neuropeptide, orexin into the blood stream. However, narcolepsy is caused by the homeostatic imbalance where the hypothalamus...

Words: 715 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Example Of Paralysis Research Paper

... Edward Albert once said, “Some days it is a heroic act just to refuse the paralysis of fear and straighten up and step into another day.” This quote is saying that to overcome fear or anything that holds a person back is simply an act of heroism. So, what exactly does paralysis mean? The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines “paralysis” as “a loss or impairment of voluntary muscular movement caused by structural abnormalities of nervous or muscular tissue or by metabolic disturbances in neuromuscular function” (“Paralysis”). This means a muscle or part of a muscle can no longer move. Physically, paralysis is the loss of the ability to move. Some people understand the impact and life changing habits when they experience paralysis in their body, but not everyone can grasp the true meaning of physical paralysis. The term paralysis has a negative connotation. When most people think of paralysis they think of a person being is a wheelchair. That is a stereotype because there are many forms or paralysis. The term paralysis in general means inactivity. In the simplest form, paralysis means that something does not work. Dealing with physical paralysis is an obstacle. Paralysis makes people feel trapped and helpless. Paralysis in any part of the body is life altering and very difficult to handle. People with paralysis in a certain part of their body cannot live a normal life. They must handle most situations differently than people who are normal. A simple task can be much more tiring...

Words: 628 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Sleep Disorders

...Brower and Hall (2001) have studied sleep disorders among a specific population, that of those who are alcohol dependent. Their study was quite ambitious, as it included sizeable populations (N=139 participants diagnosed as alcohol dependent) and a control group (N=87 non-alcoholics). The authors also considered the effects of participant age, as they analyzed their data for differences between those older than 55 and younger than 55. The data collection instrument was a validated self-report questionnaire that collected information concerning the prior six months regarding sleep apnea, periodic leg movement disorder, narcolepsy, and psychiatric sleep disorder. The authors excluded from the study those with existing disorders or problems that are known to affect sleep negatively, such as depression, GI problems, respiratory problems, and head trauma. Brower and Hall developed three main findings. First, alcoholics who had recently begun sobriety had more disturbed sleep than non-alcoholics due to varying levels of respiratory distress and periodic leg movements. Second, older adults had more disturbed sleep than younger adults, with less REM sleep, more respiratory distress and more periodic leg movement. Third, the combination of alcoholism and age exacerbated the problems. The authors were not surprised by any of these findings. Ohayon, Caulet, and Lemoine (1996) found that sleep patterns in the elderly can be negatively impacted due to deteriorating health and the presence...

Words: 390 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Sleep Paralysis Research Paper

...This brings me to my research into Scientific explanation of Sleep Paralysis. My main source of this information was the Book “Sleep Paralysis- A guide to Hypnagogic Visions & Visitors of the Night” by Ryan Hurd (2011). The first thing I encountered in this book was the symptoms of Sleep Paralysis. The information gathered in the book state that these symptoms are “nearly universal and have been noted throughout history and across cultures.” Examples of these symptoms include, inability to move, feeling like being held down or experiencing a weight pushing down on the chest and throat, hearing strange noises such as buzzing, pounding heart, experiencing fear and terror, out of body experience, seeing weird creatures and difficulty in breathing. Subjects may experience multiple attacks during one night, losing entire night of sleep as well as causing extreme emotional fatigue. “This is often diagnosed as Repetitive Isolated Sleep Paralysis (RISP) and can be treated with medication.” Sleep Paralysis is caused by disrupted sleep schedule, stress, anxiety and also lifestyle choices that can aggravate stress and insomnia. “Sleep Paralysis was not understood by the medical establishment until recently. The experiences of thousands of sufferers were thought to be folklore and were lumped together with other kinds of nightmares.” In the 1970’s, several laboratories studied patients who suffered with Sleep Paralysis. Since then, we learned a lot about biology of SP and the effect of it...

Words: 814 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Rm Sleep Behavior Disorder Research Paper

... While some sleep disorders can be quite dangerous and hazardous to the health of a person, there are not many as dangerous as REM sleep behavior disorder. It can lead to very dangerous situations with the person and/or the person you sleep with. If left undiagnosed and untreated, it could lead to the eventual death of a person or their loved one. That is why it is important to understand the symptoms, causes, and treatments of REM sleep behavior disorder, so that personal harm can be prevented at all costs. The DSM V for REM sleep behavior disorder is numerous, but very specific on what qualifies for the disorder. For instance, a person with REM sleep behavior disorder can be seen talking and/or moving during the REM sleep period. The person can wake up from these instances and is not dazed or confused. The person will wake up and be alert without being tired. The person can be seen moving as their muscles will not turn off like normally done in REM Sleep. These instances can cause problems in social, work, or other aspects of life. The disorder can be caused by a history of REM sleep behavior disorder or a degenerative disease to the nervous system, such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer’s, although, no known link has been found from REM sleep behavior disorder to drug abuse or other medical conditions. The case study is an interesting one. The patient, James, was sent to a sleep disorder clinic after a few separate instances. First, James had been dreaming that he was being...

Words: 992 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Apnea Vs Snoring

...Rafael Pelayo of the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, says that snoring can begin at any age, but it does occur more often as you get older. Earlier this month, he sleep specialist sat down with The Huffington Post to give some insight on what causes snoring, as well as why it gets worse as the years go by. In particular, snoring is caused by your throat muscles relaxing and narrowing while you are sleeping, with the loud sound being the result of you trying to breathe through the tinier space. Here’s what else you need to know: Why is your snoring getting worse? Weight gain, specifically around your neck, contributes to narrowing your throat—as well as decreased muscle tone, menopause and other hormonal changes. What are your treatment options? If you do not have sleep apnea, there plenty of over-the-counter humidifiers that may help you breathe better. Dr. Pelayo recommends giving nasal strips, positional devices, tongue exercises, snoring pillows and nasal sprays a try. Losing weight is also highly recommended by doctors and sleep experts to reduce snoring. What’s the difference between snoring and sleep apnea? Dr. Pelayo says that while snoring is a narrowing of the throat, sleep apnea is more of a closure with the airway becoming almost blocked. Characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep, the sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that significantly impacts your health and overall quality of life. Do you really have sleep apnea? While snoring is a symptom...

Words: 326 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Sleep Deprivation Research Paper

...Sleep Depravation Specific Purpose: The main point of my speech is how sleep depravation affects our bodies. The reason why I choose this topic was because as college students we have many sleepless nights and I want to show how this affects us in short term and long term. Central Statement/Thesis Statement: Sleep deprivation has many side affects in my speech I will be indicating the affects that it has on the brain, the metabolism, and in behaviors. Introduction I. Hello, everyone. So we left off..(recap of previous speeches). To begin with how many of you have had to stay up for most of the night in order to finish a paper, a lab, a project, or study for a test? Well I have had a few of these nights especially when I end up taking too many credit hours per semester. But most of us do not acknowledge how harmful this sleepless night is to our health. II. Today I will be speaking about the effects that sleep depravation has on brain, metabolism, and behavior. III. The reason why I choose this subject was because in my previous Psychology classes we have address the issue of sleep deprivation on human behavior. Also, I have read and cited many scholarly articles that support the main ideas of my topic. IV. As college students we are always on the go, going to work, going to school, and doing homework. Along the semester we usually do not have time to sleep, but we need to know how this is affecting our bodies. It is important for us to make time for sleeping. V. The topics...

Words: 588 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Sleep Paralysis

...sleep paralysis is the hallucinatory sleep paralysis also known as the hypnagogic sleep paralysis and the Hag phenomena. There are three major differences between Hallucinatory Sleep Paralysis (HSP) and CSP, 1. Whereas CSP is common and universal HSP is rare and seems to be geographically episodic. 2. CSP is of relatively short duration where HSP can last as long as seven or eight minutes. 3. The major difference of course is that CSP may be unsettling for the sleeper but the HSP is accompanied by a nightmarish hallucination. Risk factors for SP: Following risk factors associated with medical conditions. Conditions References 1. Hypertension 16 2. idiopathic hypersomnia 17,18 3. Insufficient sleep syndrome 19 4. Narcolepsy 19 5. Obstructive sleep apnea 20 6. Alcohol use 21 7. Wilson’s disease 22 Table 1. Sleep paralysis and associated medical conditions. Sleep factors: Sleep disruption or presence of poor sleep is associated with SP (21). SP is common in shift workers due disturbances of biological clock sleep disturbed (23) and the SP is most commonly occur when individuals sleep in a supine position (4). Personality factors: Certain personality traits may also associated with risk factors. For instance, higher levels of dissociation (24), and imaginativeness (25) have been linked to SP, also the supernatural or paranormal beliefs (26) have been linked to SP. Etiology: SP is a condition of unknown etiology. Genetics and...

Words: 1876 - Pages: 8