Methods of treatment of narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that causes a person to want to sleep during the day and have a sudden attack of sleep.
Diagnosis
Your doctor may make a preliminary diagnosis of narcolepsy based on your excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy).
The doctor will be interested in the quality of sleep, how long do you manage to sleep, when the symptoms of narcolepsy appear and more.
You may need to keep a diary - based on the data, your doctor will examine how your sleep patterns have changed and more.
After an initial diagnosis, your doctor may refer you to a sleep specialist for further evaluation.
Polysomnography may be ordered to examine for sleep. The patient's breath, cardiogram and other necessary data are recorded during the study. The main purpose of the study is to check the electrical activity of the brain, heart, muscles and eyes.
Treatment
There is no cure for narcolepsy, but medications and lifestyle modifications can help you manage the symptoms.
If you have other health problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, ask your doctor how the medications you take for your other conditions may interact with those taken for narcolepsy.
Certain over-the-counter drugs can cause drowsiness. If you have narcolepsy, your doctor will likely recommend that you avoid taking these medications.
Lifestyle modifications are important in managing the symptoms of narcolepsy. You may benefit from these steps:
- Stick to a schedule. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends.
- Take naps. Schedule short naps at regular intervals during the day. Naps of 20 minutes at strategic times during the day may be refreshing and reduce sleepiness for one to three hours.
- Avoid nicotine and alcohol.
- Get regular exercise.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcolepsy/diagnosis-treatment/drc-
20375503
