Did You Know This About Narcolepsy And Sleep Paralysis?

There can not be many individuals who haven’t seen the movie”Moby Dick”, either in its original 1956 version with Gregory Peck, or the more recent 1998 television adaptation with Patrick Stewart. Although sleep paralysis wouldn’t be clarified by the American neurologist Weir Mitchell for another 25 years, this gives us a vivid account of a state that’s existed since the dawn of time.

Sleep paralysis

It is one of a range of undesirable events that occur during sleep (such as sleep walking, nightmares, night terrors and restless legs syndrome) and about half of us will experience at least one episode of sleep paralysis throughout our life. For many narcolepsy sufferers, however, sleep paralysis can be a frequent occurrence and, if accompanied by hallucinations (another common symptom of narcolepsy), it can be a particularly frightening, or even frightening,

experience. Sleep paralysis very rarely presents any real threat to the sufferer. Nevertheless, it’s an experience that most of us could live without and one for which we’d dearly love to get a cure. Unfortunately, however, there’s absolutely no cure currently, but, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. For some time now it’s been known that human leukocyte antigen, or HLA, (a protein found on the surface of white blood cells and forming part of the body’s natural defense or immune system) has played a role in causing narcolepsy.

Research

What hasn’t been known though is exactly what role this protein has played. In two different studies carried out in Texas and California in 2000 however the legitimate purpose of HLA emerged and this is now being confirmed in a series of further research, the latest of which (June 2005) comes from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It seems that narcolepsy is caused by the deficiency of a specific chemical called hypocretin or orexin that’s normally created by the brain and plays an integral role in maintaining a regular sleep routine.

In the case of narcolepsy sufferers this compound is missing due to the existence of an autoimmune disorder. To put it differently, the body’s immune system, rather than attacking foreign invaders, attacks healthy cells (in this case hypocretin or orexin molecules) and destroys them. What exactly does all this mean for narcolepsy sufferers? Well, it certainly does not imply that a cure will look tomorrow, but it does imply that scientists now understand how to cure the problem.

Conclusion

On the one hand they may look at ways of preventing the body’s immune system from attacking hypocretin or orexin molecules and, on the other hand, they could develop a way of replacing the missing molecules. This will of course require additional research and clinical trials and will take a while. Meanwhile, sufferers need to stay with their present recognized drug treatments and continue to follow a policy of sound sleep hygiene and behavioral management. But the knowledge that scientists have pinpointed the reason for narcolepsy and a cure is at last in the pipeline must act as very good encouragement for anyone living with narcolepsy today.