Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy, a condition characterized by frequent periods of sleepiness during the day, strikes about 1 person in 1,000. Narcolepsy has four main symptoms, which are the following:
1). gradual or sudden attacks of sleepiness during the day.
2). Occasional cataplexy-an attach of muscle weakness while the person remains awake.
3). Sleep paralysis-an inability to movie while falling asleep or waking up.
4). Hypnagogic hallucinations- dreamlike experiences that the person has trouble distinguishing from reality

The cause of narcolepsy is the neurotransmitter orexin. People with narcolepsy lack the hypothalamic cells that produce and release orexin.  Orexin is important for staying awake. People with narcolepsy alternate between short waking periods and short sleepy periods, instead of staying awake throughout the day. As of now they only common treatment is stimulant drugs, but perhaps one day there will be drugs that can restore orexin.

The following video tell the story of a 21 years and his struggle with Narcolepsy.