The five signs of narcolepsy are Cataplexy, Hallucinations, Excessive daytime sleepiness, Sleep paralysis and also Sleep disruption.
Although not everyone who has narcolepsy will always experience all those 5 signs of narcolepsy.
The main cause of narcolepsy is a lack of a brain chemical called hypocretin (also known as orexin), which regulates our sleep.
The hypocretin deficiency is thought to be the result of the immune system mistakenly attacking parts of the brain that produce hypocretin.
When you have a narcoleptic attack it can cause you to experience things such as Cataplexy: Sudden loss of muscle tone that makes you unable to move.
Hallucinations: Unreal sensations that are perceived as real. Sleep paralysis: Total paralysis just before falling asleep or just after waking up.
You can sometimes just develop narcolepsy and once you get narcolepsy it's a lifelong condition.
However treatment can help with the narcolepsy but there's no cure for narcolepsy.
The most common symptoms of narcolepsy are excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations.
Narcolepsy can also trigger sleep paralysis.
When you have sleep paralysis there's nothing you can do to get out of sleep paralysis any faster.
Just remain calm and within a few minutes to 5 to 10 minutes at most your body should automatically get out of sleep paralysis.
You'll be unable to move or do anything and may not be able to speak until the sleep paralysis is over but it should go away on it's own.
The most common trigger for sleep paralysis is sleep deprivation or lack of sleep.
Other causes and triggers of sleep paralysis are some medications, sleeping on your back, changing sleep schedule and even sleep disorders such as narcolepsy can trigger sleep paralysis.
Sleep Paralysis will not hurt you and is not harmful to you.
Sleep Paralysis can be scary and frightening to someone who has never experienced it and has suddenly experienced it.
Although sleep paralysis that occurs too often can be linked to a sleep disorder known as narcolepsy.
If you do experience sleep paralysis more than once or it happens too often then you should let your doctor know because you may have a sleep disorder.
But sleep paralysis itself is not harmful.
The sleep paralysis is just a temporary issue where your body is paralyzed and unable to move and you may not be able to talk for a few minutes or so.
The sleep paralysis should go away on it's own within a few minutes to 5 to 10 minutes at most.
I had sleep paralysis and I was unable to move for 5 minutes and it scared me at first but after I told my doctor about it he said it was nothing to worry about.