Narcolepsy is something that you see on TV or maybe in YouTube videos with narcoleptic dogs, but how many people really know anyone with narcolepsy? According to Harvard Medical School, every 1 in 2000 people suffer from narcolepsy and I am one of those people. Something people don't realize is that there are two types of narcolepsy: narcolepsy with cataplexy and narcolepsy without cataplexy. Cataplexy is muscle weakness or loss of muscle control. The type of narcolepsy that you usually see in shows or movies is narcolepsy with cataplexy which cause people to collapse when laughing, being scared, or excited. I suffer from narcolepsy without cataplexy which arguably makes me lucky because I do not have bouts of cataplexy, but I do share the other symptoms.
My doctor first explained my narcolepsy to me by saying that it was like the light switch in your brain that controls whether you are awake or asleep is stuck in the middle. He was basically telling me that I am never fully awake or fully asleep; it's a crazy concept to wrapped your mind around, until you realize that that is exactly how you feel. When you are awake you are tired, not normal morning sluggishness, but complete all-day exhaustion and although you sleep at night you never feel rested. There are treatments for narcolepsy, both types are usually treated with a stimulant to keep you alert. However, there is not a cure.
Part of the reason that there isn't a cure for either type of narcolepsy is that no one really knows what causes it, but the most popular theory is that narcolepsy is caused by a lack or loss of hypocretins in the brain which affects alertness. Genetics and triggering infections could contribute as well. It is thought that the two types of narcolepsy are related so they are probably cause by similar things and it is thought that they both could be autoimmune diseases.
Narcolepsy without cataplexy is less researched because the symptoms are considered to cause less suffering because they do not include muscle weakness; this do not mean that narcolepsy without cataplexy is not serious. I personally have experienced extreme tiredness as if I hadn't slept for several days even after eight hours of sleep, vivid dreams/nightmares that are unbelievably real and indistinguishable from reality most of the time, and restless sleep at night.
One of the worst parts of this disease is that other people think you are overreacting or being lazy even after being told of your narcolepsy, especially when you don't have the classically known symptom of cataplexy. Imagine, you are diagnosed with a lifelong disorder that explains your exhaustion, but then you find out that even after instituting a bedtime/wake up time, you will need several 20-30 minute naps a day, and a stimulant and you will still never feel the normal wakefulness of non-narcoleptic people.
It is a hard thing to swallow so like in my Crohn's Disease article and my invisible disease article, I'm not asking for sympathy, I'm trying to raise awareness and to explain that narcolepsy is a real and serious disorder and is only one of many sleeping disorders. So next time you think someone is being lazy or lying about being tired, remember that you can't always see what people are up against.