Narcolepsy

     Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness. When someone suffers from this disorder, they tend to experience sudden sleep attacks throughout the day. They also have a great probability of suffering numerous symptoms. Some of these symptoms include cataplexy (loss of muscle tone and control), sleep paralysis (temporary inability to move) and excessive daytime sleepiness. What is less fortunate, is the fact that it cannot be controlled by the people who suffer it and doctors still do not know what causes this disorder. They think that Narcolepsy could be a genetic or biological disorder.
     This week, we saw a series of videos, that reflected the life of a narcolepsic. This man not only suffers narcolepsy, but he also experiences cataplexy, which is one of the various symptoms of narcolepsy. Suprisingly, when he experiences sudden sleep, he can still keep doing what he was doing while awake. He also has the necesity of taking precautions, because these attacks are sudden. In order to avoid severe injuries, he wears a helmet when he goes to the kitchen and uses protection. He tries not to be lazy or not interested, but his narcolepsy won't allow him to accomplish such thing. He usually feels fatigued, tired and experiences about sixty attacks per day.
     To conclude, Narcolepsy is a fatal disorder, which affects a person's quality of life. Usually people feel fatigue and tired. They are also unable to control or avoid attacks, because they are sudden. Finally, this disorder is usually accompanied by various symptoms, which can contribute to the fatality of this disorder.

PICTURE CITATION:

WinPump. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://gigasize-files.co.cc/?id=1379&q=narcolepsy>.