Narcolepsy

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Definition:
an incurable sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and uncontrollable attacks of REM sleep. Gen Psych. Chapter 4, pp. 116-117

Examples:
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Facts:

 * Usually last for ten to twenty minutes.
 * No cure for narcolepsy,stimulant medications improve daytime alternessin most patients.
 * People with narcolepsy, who number from 250,000 to 350,000in the United States alone, tend to be in car accidents virtually everywhere- while driving, at work, and at home.

Analogies:
Your mother-in-law surprising you at your home is as inconsistent as a narcoleptic person's conscience. This means you do not know when said dreaded mother-in-law will come to visit.

Mnemonics:
Mnemonic for the individual features of narcolepsy: C -cataplexy H -hypnagogic hallucinations E -excessive daytime sleepiness S -sleep attacks S -sleep paralysis

In the News:
=Narcolepsy: What We All Should Know= [] Narcolepsy. Though many recognize the word, relatively few of us know what it really means. And why should we? As far as sleep disorders go, it's not nearly as common as insomnia or apnea. And let's face it, it doesn't sound very sexy either. (As one patient put it, "Combining 'narc,' and 'olepsy,' sounds like an epileptic narcotics agent to me.") Actually, the term literally refers to sleep attacks. But it's so much more complex and interesting than that.

[] Page holds many different links to news about narcolepsy. Definitely worth checking out!