“Narcolepsy, a chronic neurologic disorder resulting from dysregulation of the sleep-wake cycle” (Thorpy, 2016) Thorpy’s quote says it all. Narcolepsy is a sleep problem, where the body cannot maintain sleep or awake for more than a few hours at a time. The reason is lack of brain chemical called orexin/hypocretin, whose purpose is, among other things, to promote wakefulness, but has also been linked to appetite. Having low levels of this particular chemical does not only make one sleepy but creates many other sleep-related problems. (Mieda & Sakurai, 2016). The problem is, this description does not really give any idea of how the symptoms can manifest and how it feels.…
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First experiences of Cataplexy
Around the age of 14, my sleepiness was developing, but I also started to notice muscle weakness when laughing. In the beginning, like with the sleep, I did not pay much attention to it and not knowing any different I started thinking that it was just normal to feel weak when you laugh. These symptoms soon progressed and started to be more severe. I disliked these sudden onsets of paralysis and not being able to do anything about them. Laughing is my weakness My first memory of a cataplexy attack happened in our family kitchen. My father likes to joke around, and as kids, we were always laughing but for…
