This document discusses narcolepsy, a chronic sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness. It defines narcolepsy and explains its symptoms like cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations. The document also covers how narcolepsy is diagnosed through polysomnograms and multiple sleep latency tests. While there is no cure, treatment focuses on controlling symptoms through stimulant drugs, antidepressants, and lifestyle changes. The document provides statistics on narcolepsy's prevalence and potential complications.

1. Al-Najah National university
Faculty of Graduate Studies
Name: Malik Manasrah.
Supervisor: Dr. Mahmoud
kresheh.

2. • What is narcolepsy?
• How is narcolepsy diagnosed?
• The causes of narcolepsy
• The epidemiology of narcolepsy
• Narcolepsy’s symptoms
• Narcolepsy's treatments
• Some risk factors of being narcoleptic

3. What is narcolepsy?
• Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that causes drowsiness
and frequent nap attacks during the day.
• It is NOT related to depression, seizure disorders, fainting, or
simple lack of sleep.
• The name narcolepsy comes from the French word
narcolepsie, which is a combination of the Greek word narkē
(“numbness”) and leptos (“seizure”).

4. Risk factor
•Family history
•Head trauma
•Infections, or drugs, that
affect the brain
•Anesthesia

5. What can cause narcolepsy?
• Narcolepsy is NOT a mental
illness. It is a nervous system
disorder.
• Evidence suggests that narcolepsy
may run in families.
• Scientists believe that narcolepsy
is caused by a decrease in the
amount of hypocretin.
• Hypocretin, also known as orexin,
is involved in controlling appetite
and sleep patterns.

6. What is the major symptom?
• The major symptom is excessive
daytime sleepiness.
• Sleep attacks occur with little warning
and may often occur at inappropriate
times and paces.
• These naps are physically irresistible
and take place several times per day,
usually lasting for about 15 minutes
each (can be longer).

7. What are the other symptoms?
Cataplexy
• The person suddenly loses
muscle function while
awake and cannot move.
• It can be a result of strong
emotions, such as laughter
or anger. Sleep paralysis
• The attacks can last from a • The person temporarily
few seconds to several loses the ability to talk or
minutes. move when he or she wakes
up or first becomes drowsy.

8. Automatic behavior
• A person continues to
function, such as talking and
putting objects in different
places, during sleep, but he
or she does not recall doing
such activities after
Hypnagogic hallucinations awakening.
• These are vivid, dreamlike
experiences that take place
when a person is sleeping,
falling asleep, or awakening.
• The hallucinations involve
seeing or hearing.

9. How many people are diagnosed
with narcolepsy?
• Experts estimate that around
3 million people worldwide
have narcolepsy.
• In the United States, it is
estimated that there are
around 200,000 people
affected by the disorder, but
not even a quarter of them • The usual onset of
are diagnosed. narcolepsy is in
• The prevalence is about 1 per adolescence and young
2,000 people. adulthood.

10. How does one get diagnosed with
narcolepsy?
• Two tests are commonly used to diagnose nacolepsy.
• One is the polysomnogram, which involves continuous
recording of brain waves and nerve and muscle functions
during sleep at night.
• Another is the multiple sleep latency test, or MSLT, which
involves observations made of the time taken for a person to
reach the different stages of sleep.

11. How does one get
treated?
• There is no known cure for narcolepsy.
There are only ways to control the
symptoms.
• Modafinil, a stimulant drug, is a popular
medicine for treating narcolepsy because it
is less likely to be abused than other
stimulants.
• Antidepressant drugs can reduce
cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and
hallucinations.
• Some patients also take sodium oxybate at
night.

12. What are some lifestyle adjustments
that can help cope with narcolepsy?
• Eating light meals during the day
• Avoiding heavy meals before
important events
• Napping after meals
• Planning naps ahead
• Informing teachers and
employers about the disorder

13. What are some possible complications
in daily life?
• May endanger life if sleep attacks occur while driving,
operating machinery, etc.
• Impairment of functioning at work
• Impairment of social activities
• Side effects of medicines used to treat the disorder