Fox News Channel 10 (Phoenix) story about teenager Brendan, 19, who sleeps 12-16 hours at a time, and is asleep more than he’s awake. Doctors struggle to figure out why. Sleep doctor Michael Breus comments on how sleep disorders are on the rise, and says there are between 85-88 identified sleep disorders at the time of this news story. Many of these disorders are mysterious, and doctors are still struggling to understand and treat them. In a nation where 1 out of 3 Americans are sleep-deprived and stay awake longer than they should, Brendan’s sleep disorder is rare.
Narcolepsy is a neurological condition most characterized by Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS). A narcoleptic will most likely experience disturbed nocturnal sleep, confused with insomnia, and disorder of REM or rapid eye movement sleep. It is a type of dyssomnia.
The main characteristic of narcolepsy is overwhelming excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), even after adequate night time sleep. A person with narcolepsy is likely to become drowsy or to fall asleep, often at inappropriate times and places. Daytime naps may occur with or without warning and may be irresistible. These naps can occur several times a day. They are typically refreshing, but only for a few hours. Drowsiness may persist for prolonged periods of time. In addition, night-time sleep may be fragmented with frequent awakenings.
This post was written by bullets on April 19, 2007
