Struggling to get a good night's sleep? Or do you feel sleepy all day long but you're a night owl? Such conditions can be a signal for the sleep disorder you may be suffering from. Numbers of sleep disorders may affect your routine life, performance efficiency & surprisingly, they come with many unpleasant symptoms and consequences.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 million adults in the US are suffering from some sleep disorders & insomnia turns out to be the most commonly experienced sleep disorder condition. Another common sleep disorder that has disturbed millions of lives is Narcolepsy.
This blog is all about learning the nitty-gritty of narcolepsy & insomnia – what they are, what are their symptoms & their respective possible treatments. Let's check out.
What is Narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy is a condition that makes people feel sleepy-head during the day but keeps them awake during the night. It directly affects your nervous system because abnormal sleeping habits will ultimately affect your quality of life.
People aging between 10 and 25 years may experience severe daytime sleep attacks or overwhelming desires to fall asleep during the day. When this becomes a daily matter, they may suffer from poor 'fragmented sleep' conditions at night time.
What are the symptoms of Narcolepsy?
Though there are many symptoms of Narcolepsy, it differs from person to person. You may consult your doctor & discuss your current situation to determine the level of Narcolepsy you're suffering from. Meanwhile, let's have a look at different Narcolepsy symptoms:
- Cataplexy aka body collapse
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Poorly regulated REM sleep
- Sleep paralysis
- Fragmented Sleep
Besides such major symptoms, Narcolepsy may trigger certain automatic behaviors like insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea & restless leg syndrome. You can see that insomnia is a part of narcolepsy & is related to it in one or other ways.
How to cure Narcolepsy?
It's not like that you get rid of Narcolepsy overnight. You'll have to undergo systematic treatment & manage its symptoms. This will slowly lead you to a condition when you'll start sleeping as a normal human being should.
In addition to medications, you'll also have to make some lifestyle changes & avoid things that affect your night sleep. Here are some treatments of Narcolepsy that are highly effective in regularizing your sleep:
- Stimulants like Modalert & Modvigil
- Tricyclic Antidepressants
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI)
- Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Xyrem (FDA-approved)
- Wakix (FDA-approved)
After learning all this, you must be curious to determine what causes narcolepsy? Surprisingly, its causes are unknown, but low hypocretin levels contribute to Narcolepsy. Additionally, stress, toxin exposures, and infections may play major roles in triggering Narcolepsy conditions.
By the time we have had a look at Narcolepsy, let's study the basics of Insomnia too.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder affecting an individual's ability to fall asleep. In other words, you feel difficulty in falling asleep whenever you try to sleep. Also, some people are struggling to remain asleep once they're able to sleep.
You can also say that people suffering from insomnia experience fragmented sleep. This hinders lifestyles by not letting people experience 100% active & fresh mind. It gets difficult to function normally the next day. According to some reports, 18% of the global adult population is suffering from insomnia.
What are the symptoms of Insomnia?
People suffering from Insomnia usually suffer from the following symptoms:
- You cannot sleep at all the entire night.
- Once you're asleep, either you wake up frequently, wake up too early & you cannot sleep back again once awake.
- You don't feel refreshed after waking up in the morning because of lack of sleep.
How to Treat Insomnia?
Insomnia directly affects the quality of life as well as the ability to perform routine tasks effectively. Productivity is badly impacted & work quality is affected as a result. Making some lifestyle changes & taking appropriate medicines will get you relief from insomnia.
Here are the possible treatment options for Insomniacs:
- Consult your doctor & start treatment with Insomnia pills like Etizolam.
- Keep yourself away from the blue light before bedtime.
- Make a sleeping schedule & stick to it. Set wakeup & go-to-bed timings & observe the results.
- Limit alcohol & caffeine consumption when you're going to sleep after an hour or two.
- Make yourself comfortable with your bedroom in a dark space where no light enters so that you can sleep properly. If possible, meditate before bedtime to calm your mind.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, insomnia & narcolepsy are common sleeping problems experienced by adults. Though both of them are sleep disorders, they have different symptoms & treatments. Now you know the basics about these two & you'll be able to classify if you're suffering from narcolepsy or insomnia.
