South Jersey Struggles To Sleep: Know Signs Of Narcolepsy

SOUTH JERSEY — Many struggle to get the proper amount of sleep each night. Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean counties report high numbers of sleeplessness - with 40.6 percent, 38.6 percent, and 38.1 percent of their residents, respectively, reporting they get fewer than seven hours of sleep per night, according to CDC data.

Sept. 22 was World Narcolepsy Day, and in honor, experts at AtlantiCare's new Sleep Center program—an expansion of AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center’s (ARMC) Heart and Lung Institute—shared insights on this disorder.

You are likely familiar with comedic aspects of narcolepsy seen in TV shows and movies. A character falling asleep mid-sentence, perhaps. However, narcolepsy is serious. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “If left undiagnosed or untreated, narcolepsy can interfere with psychological, social, and cognitive function and development and can inhibit academic, work, and social activities.”

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that typically involves a chemical imbalance affecting the brain’s ability to control sleep-wake cycles. Narcolepsy isn’t about how long a person sleeps, but instead involves the brain signaling a person to sleep or wake at the wrong times. It is different from insomnia, which occurs when a person has difficulty falling and staying asleep.

However, people with narcolepsy might also have insomnia or other sleep disorders, including sleep apnea. In addition, narcolepsy is much different from “occasional tiredness” or the need to nap frequently during the day. Getting extra sleep and trying to catch up on sleep don’t cure a person.

“There is a stigma around narcolepsy. It includes everything from labeling a person with the disorder as ‘lazy’ and lacking motivation to ostracizing them because of how it impacts them at work, in school, or in society,” said David Visco, M.D., pulmonologist, certified sleep expert, and medical director AtlantiCare Health Network Pulmonology. “These often-cruel comments and mischaracterizations can put individuals at additional risks. A person with narcolepsy has a neurological condition that is beyond their control. However, an accurate diagnosis, timely treatment, and ongoing support can help individuals manage the disorder, which is important for their overall wellbeing. It’s important not to stigmatize but to recognize what is happening and seek professional help.”

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates that 1 in 2,000 people have narcolepsy. However, they caution the actual numbers may be much higher.

“People may not recognize narcolepsy, instead attributing telltale signs as just being over-tired, or having a stretch of disturbed sleep,” said Visco. “For these and other reasons it’s possible the actual cases of narcolepsy could be higher than what is recorded and reported.”

According to the AtlantiCare team, typical symptoms include:

• Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS)—persistent and overwhelming sleepiness that comes on quickly and happens despite how much sleep a person gets at night
• Normal levels of alertness in between periods of EDS—especially during activities that hold their attention
• Cataplexy—sudden loss of muscle tone while awake, leading to a loss of voluntary muscle control
• Sleep paralysis—a temporary inability to move or speak for a few seconds while a person is falling asleep or is in the process of waking up
• Hallucinations—typically occurring with sleep paralysis
• Fragmented sleep or insomnia
• Temporary sleep episodes during automatic behavior—a person falls asleep doing an activity, but automatically continues the activity

“Narcolepsy can contribute to, or be exacerbated by, other physical and emotional conditions,” said Visco. “These include high cholesterol or blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and anxiety. Healthy sleep—or the lack of it—impacts every aspect of your life. If you are not well rested, you’re less likely to be physically active and to have healthy lifestyle habits.”

Diagnosing narcolepsy involves sleep specialists and studies, including those AtlantiCare’s Sleep Center team offers. The team often guides patients through developing an extensive sleep history and a sleep record that logs sleep patterns. Tests AtlantiCare might order for patients to have through or at their Sleep Center include:

• Actigraphy to track times of rest and activity.
• Polysomnography study during an overnight or day-time stay at the Sleep Center. This measures brainwaves, heart rate, breathing, and leg and eye movements during sleep.
• A multiple sleep latency test is use this to measure how long it takes a person to fall asleep and how quickly they enter REM sleep.

While there is no cure for narcolepsy, you can manage symptoms with behavioral changes. NIH recommends several lifestyle tips including: taking short naps; maintaining a regular sleep schedule; avoiding caffeine, alcohol and large, heavy meals and before bed; avoiding smoking (especially at night); exercising daily; doing relaxing activities such as taking a warm bath, before bed.

“Once you have a diagnosis of narcolepsy, there is a great deal that modern science and dedicated specialists can do to help you lead a normal, safe, and productive life,” said Visco. To learn more about the AtlantiCare Heart and Lung Institute’s Sleep Center, visit atlanticare.org or call 1-888-569-1000.