Can’t Stay Awake? Narcolepsy - Diagnosis And Treatment

Oh my!

So you can't stay awake?

Narcolepsy invades the lives of many people a variety of ways. Regardless of the extent of the symptoms of your narcolepsy, this is a serious sleep disorder which must be aggressively addressed with the assistance of your healthcare provider.

Narcolepsy can cause you to suddenly fall sound asleep in the midst of performing your activities of daily living. You may also find yourself extremely tired throughout the day and longing simply to close your eyes, if but just for a moment.

Of course there are many other health conditions such as insomnia, depression, cardiac disorders, and seizure disorders which can cause daytime sleepiness.

Your physician can help you to determine if you are suffering from narcolepsy by first beginning with a review of your answers to specific sleep-related questions.

By reviewing your responses to this diagnostic tool your physician can began to differentiate between less serious sleep disorders and narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy diagnosis and treatment can be difficult. After a thorough review of your history and medical symptoms with your physician, typically a sleep study is conducted to evaluate your sleep pattern.

Your physician will typically ask that you undergo a series of sleep tests known as a Polysomnogram, which can capture body activities such as muscle movements, eye movements, heartbeat and even brain activity. A review of all of these tests will help to give your physician and appropriate diagnosis of narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy treatment is typically designed around a combination approach, including counseling, behavioral changes and even prescription medications, all designed to work together to battle the effects of narcolepsy.

Counseling is an important part of narcolepsy treatment since those suffering from narcolepsy often battle depression and overall difficulty dealing with this disorder. Those suffering can also encounter boatloads of negativity from those they encounter.

Changes might include the development of improved sleep habits and nighttime routines. Another change known to benefit those suffering from narcolepsy is to get a moderate amount of exercise each and every day.

This encourages you to spend a sufficient amount of energy during the day so that you body is more in the mood for sleep at night. Eliminating stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine is also an important lifestyle change.

Prescription medications and stimulants are known to be effective in the treatment of narcolepsy since these medications can help you to stay awake.

There are many dangers from narcolepsy, ones that can even put your life into danger. For example, if you suffer from severe narcolepsy you may even experience times when you fall asleep while sitting at a stop sign while driving your car. Not a great idea!

You might also find that you being to isolate yourself from those around you as you battle the narcolepsy demon.

It seems to take over your life, leaving you without control and so your world becomes smaller and smaller. This can lead to the depths of depression and is simply not an acceptable way to live.

Narcolepsy can be a very difficult sleep disorder to manage and it can be tough for those around you to really understand.

Combination therapy can help many of those with narcolepsy. Just remember that you must not simply give up and isolate yourself as a method of protection.

Seek and demand excellent treatment from your healthcare provider and keep looking for just the right therapy combination that works best for you.

Yes, narcolepsy diagnosis and treatment can be difficult but not impossible.

Don’t give up hope.

Seed Newsvine

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