Excessive Daytime Sleepiness - Narcolepsy

I was watching telly yesterday and while switching from one channel to another, I came across a show about people who are suffering from EDS or Excessive Daytime Sleepiness. The disorder is scientifically termed as narcolepsy and is characterized by extreme daytime drowsiness which commonly leads to falling onto sleep.

*** a person suffering from narcolepsy is called narcoleptic

Symptoms:

• excessive daytime sleepiness even after having enough sleep during the night
  
  
• feeling of drowsiness at first which leads to falling onto deep sleep
  
  
• several nap attacks per day which can happen anytime of the the day, anywhere without a single warning
  
  
• cataplexy - a medical term which is associated to people with narcolepsy.
  - features loss of muscle function
  - also due to EDS, sleep attacks and sleep paralysis
  
  
• sleep paralysis - as narcoleptics can't control the disease, they fall into deep sleep making them looked paralyzed. If they are shopping or doing a speech in school, there are instances when they just fall on the floor as they can't control each attack.
  
  
• automatic behavior - a person still functions like talking, etc while sleeping. However, he (or she) rarely remembers anything about performing such activities during sleep.
  
  
• hypnagogia - a state between being awake and being asleep

It was actually weird watching the show. I felt so sorry for narcoleptics because they really feel bad about their condition (who wouldn't?). They could not have a normal life as they're always in danger.

Think about it... they are climbing up the stairs trying to get to the second floor of their house when suddenly the disease attacks them. They fall, they get hurt and some even die because of these accidents. I just hope that after thorough research and studies, a medicine that can really help them will be discovered one day... soon.