Narcolepsy
The condition whereby the sufferer has a tendency to fall asleep in a quiet situation or where their activity is monotonous and/or repetitive is called Narcolepsy. However the person can be woken easily, and is immediately alert. The exact cause is unknown, and affects men 4 times more than women.
Narcolepsy symptoms usually begin in adolescence and will continue throughout life not affecting life span in any way. There are no pathological changes seen in the brain. This type of sleep differs from normal sleep in one conspicuous way. In normal sleep Non-Rapid Eye Movement or NREM precedes Rapid Eye Movement or REM by about I hour. In Narcolepsy, sleep with almost instantaneous REM is seen.
Frequently there is loss of muscle tone during this phase. It is not unusual for the patient to fall asleep suddenly, be woken, and then fall asleep again in minutes. Unfortunately however, the normal nocturnal sleep pattern may not be satisfactory so overall the sufferer probably does not have any more sleep per 24 hours than the average person does.
Additional Medical Conditions:
