Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder which makes the patient feel extremely tired during the day. In severe cases. Narcolepsy can cause severe sleep attacks, where the patient can fall asleep all of the sudden. For the 1 in 2,000 people that suffer from Narcolepsy, their day to day life is affected by the extreme fatigue and sleep attacks, which put them in high-risk situations. Most people with Narcolepsy do not know they have it.
No one knows the exact cause for Narcolepsy, however specialists know that the lower levels of the neurotransmitter hypocretin plays a large role in Narcolepsy with Cataplexy*(Narcolepsy type 1). There is a small autoimmune and genetic aspect to Narcolepsy.
*Cataplexy is a sleep attack that occurs when a person is awake, which tends to cause slurred speech, joint buckling, and in severe cases paralysis. These attacks are typically caused by strong emotions.
