According to Villalsa, Lautar, Santos and Guillerino, (2010) narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness that is present even if the individual experiences restful sleep. (p.38) Additionally, narcolepsy may be associated with cataplexy and other sleep abnormalities such as sleep paralysis and hallucinations. The way people are diagnosed to determine whether they have narcolepsy is through a video polysomnography and a multiple sleep latency test. Narcolepsy is divided into two main groups: narcolepsy with or without cataplexy. (p.65) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Cataplexy is characterized by a sudden drop in muscle tone, triggered by emotional factors, especially if positive, such as laughter or pleasant surprises rarely by stress, fear or physical effort. People with narcolepsy can have both narcolepsy and cataplexy and can also have only narcolepsy. In 1880 Gelineau was the first author to describe this syndrome and coined the term narcolepsy to identify a group of patients with excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep attacks and episodes of narcolepsy. muscle weakness triggered by emotions. (p. 66) Narcolepsy is approximately 0.05% in the United States. The most recent hypothesis suggests that narcolepsy could be a neurodegenerative disease with an autoimmune component that triggers the onset of the disease in predisposed individuals. It can also be seen during a neurological disease process. (p. 67) Narcolepsy is a clinical syndrome defined by four systems: a disorder of excessive sleepiness, a sudden bilateral loss of postural muscle tone, or sudden muscle weakness, often following intense emotion, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations. (p. 65) As Villalsa, Lautar, Santos, and Guillermo state (p. 38), individuals with narcolepsy experience extreme tiredness, drowsiness, and a strong need to nap at inappropriate times during the day. Cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations are related to the release of orexin in the hypothalamus and can be managed with stimulants such as amphetamines, methylphenidate, or modafinil. The side effects of these drugs are irritability and anxiety. Physiological side effects are headache, gastrointestinal discomfort and skin irritation. Taking amphetamine and modafinil together results in an effective and well-tolerated awakening-promoting agent. Taking antidepressants, antipsychotics, or sedatives can help reduce cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations. (p.38) Narcolepsy typically affects children and young adults and is most common before the age of twenty-five. According to Sanjeev and Suresh (p. 190), the first symptom is between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. Narcolepsy is more common in men than in women. (p. 190) People with narcolepsy have an increasing body mass compared to others. Some, especially children, gain weight after the onset of narcolepsy. Sanjeev and Suresh stated that (p. 195) disrupted nighttime sleep is common and may partially contribute to chronic sleepiness. Sleep terrors and frequent nightmares are symptoms. (p. 197) They may also experience eating disorders, food cravings, binge eating, and obesity. Narcoleptics are highly likely to have periodic limb movements (PLM) and restless legs syndrome (RLS). Studies have shown that fifty to sixty percent of people with narcolepsy have SCI. All tight muscles can be affected, but in people with narcolepsy and cataplexy the muscles of the face, arms and legs are most affected. They can..