Narcolepsy: What is Sleeping Sickness?

Narcolepsy is a rare neurological disorder also known as sheep disease. Here you can find out everything you need to know about it.

Explanation and Symptoms: What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a neurological disease that leads to disturbances of the sleep-wake rhythm. People affected by this sleep disorder (hypersomnia) suffer from extreme tiredness all day long and can suffer sudden sleep attacks. All muscles slacken (muscle failure = “cataplexies”), which can lead to falls. In addition, sleep through sleep disturbances often occur during night sleep, so that the actual sleep is not perceived as restful. So far, there are only speculations about how the disease develops. Narcolepsy is considered incurable, there is no direct therapy against the continuous sleepiness.

Theoretically, these sleep disorders can break out at any age, but in many patients they first appear between 15 and 30 years of age. It is estimated that approximately 40,000 people in Germany are affected by narcolepsy. The quality of life can be severely impaired by these unpredictable sleep attacks. For example, poor sleep can also lead to hallucinations. But narcolepsy does not shorten life itself.

What Happens in Brain Narcolepsy?

It is not yet fully understood what effects narcolepsy has on the brain. However, new studies show that the cerebral fluid of narcoleptics contains a lower level of the messenger substance hypocretin compared to healthy people. This messenger substance is involved in the regulation of sleep-wakefulness. It is suspected that in narcoleptic patients the cells responsible for hypocretin production are falsely attacked and destroyed by the immune system.

Extreme Drowsiness: What Causes Does Sleep Medicine Know for Narcolepsy?

The exact cause of sleeping sickness is still unknown, but there are various speculations as to what could play a role in the development of narcolepsy. These include:

• Swine flu vaccination (according to a study there is a connection, but the vaccination has not been proven to be the actual cause of narcolepsy)
• Severe (psychological) stress
• Bacterial infections, e.g. with streptococci
• Craniocerebral trauma
• Tumours
• Diseases of the central nervous system

Treatment: What Can be Done for Narcolepsy?

Even if narcolepsy itself is not curable, the symptoms can be alleviated somewhat after a successful diagnosis. There are, for example, various medications for extreme daytime sleepiness. Patients are also often recommended therapies in which so-called coping strategies are developed. These are intended to prevent the sudden sleep attacks of narcolepsy, for example, in the best possible way. For more information, you can also check out our article on Narcolepsy and Measures to Be Taken.