Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder that affects approximately 1% of the population. Individuals with narcolepsy experience sudden and uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sleep attacks usually last between five and twenty minutes. You may experience hallucinations, sensations, or emotions temporarily waking you up.
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. This major sleep disorder affects about 2 million American adults and is more common than many realize. Narcolepsy causes drowsiness, especially during waking hours. Some people experience sleep paralysis, which makes them feel like they are having a heart attack, while others experience hallucinations. Narcolepsy can also be accompanied by cataplexy, a sudden loss of muscle tone that causes uncontrollable body weakness.
Medication Treatment for Narcolepsy
Provigil
Provigil (modafinil) is a wake-promoting drug used to treat narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes you to sleepwalk, fall asleep suddenly while talking or concentrating, and fall asleep during the day. Narcolepsy is a lifelong condition that will get worse over time.
Wakix
Wakix for Narcolepsy is an FDA-approved prescription medicine for treating excessive sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy. It wakes users up if they are suffering from excessive sleepiness.
Wakix is an FDA-approved prescription treatment medication for narcolepsy available by prescription for adults and children ages 12 and older. Wakix is a quick-acting, non-drowsy treatment that has the potential to allow people with narcolepsy to get more sleep every day, helping them live healthier, more productive lives.
Sunosi
Many people suffer from narcolepsy, the dream of sleeping for 20 hours straight. But it doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Sunosi, a botanical supplement, is designed to combat daytime sleepiness caused by narcolepsy. This natural supplement may help boost energy, improve focus, and fight narcolepsy-related symptoms. Prescription medications may be effective, but the side effects can be debilitating so Sunosi may be a better choice for many patients. You can check out narcolepsy clinical trials at Power if you’re looking for additional treatment options for narcolepsy.
Amphetamines
Amphetamines have been prescribed to treat narcolepsy for decades. However, the drug’s addictive nature has led doctors to prescribe more mild stimulants such as modafinil (a modafinil narcolepsy rating scale) and armodafinil, a stimulant like modafinil that is used to detect narcolepsy in people who are suspected of having narcolepsy. While modafinil and armodafinil are considered “study drugs” for narcolepsy, they are not considered effective as stimulants for narcolepsy.
Adjust lifestyle to treat Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a serious sleep disorder that can affect our everyday lives with its symptoms like tiredness and lack of coordination. Medication is available to help control the symptoms of narcolepsy, but lifestyle changes are also important, at least partly, to help control the symptoms. These lifestyle changes include diet, exercise, and sleeping habits.
The best thing you can do to battle narcolepsy is stick to good sleep habits. Sleep provides our body the energy it needs, and disrupting our sleep cycle is harmful. Proper sleep habits, especially at night, are important to the overall well-being of adults and children.
Other treatments
Acupuncture
Narcolepsy is a disorder that causes a person’s brain to stop producing enough of the sleep-inducing hormone called orexin. As a result, some people find themselves falling asleep at any time and any place. This condition can be extreme, and some people may sleep more than 18 hours daily. Managing this condition can be challenging, especially since many medications treat symptoms rather than the underlying disorder. However, acupuncture has proven successful in treating narcolepsy by stimulating the release of orexin in the brain—a similar process that occurs in a deep sleep.
Meditation
Narcolepsy is a very rare and incurable health condition that causes excessive sleepiness, often lasting for months or years. Symptoms like cataplexy, which are episodes of sudden muscle weakness and collapse, are the worst. Many with narcolepsy live normal lives, but many people suffer from daytime sleepiness, which causes many to miss work, school, and other appointments. One treatment for this condition is meditation, since meditation helps patients train their minds to stay clear and focused.
Massage
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes people to fall asleep at any time. This can lead to excessive sleepiness during the day and falling asleep while driving, on the job, or while socializing. Narcolepsy is an incurable condition, but it can be treated. Massage therapy has been shown to increase alertness and sleepiness in people with narcolepsy and can help control cataplexy or sudden attacks of muscle weakness.
Massage therapy is an increasingly effective, affordable, and non-invasive way to treat many conditions and is one of the best gifts you can give your body. But you might not realize that massage isn’t just for relaxation! Massage therapy has many medical indications, from reducing pain to improving circulation, supporting the immune system, and improving sleep.