World narcolepsy day is on September 22nd and it's a day dedicated to raising awareness of narcolepsy. Approximately 165,000 people live with narcolepsy in the united states. To talk more about this overlooked yet-life-altering neurological disorder is Dr. Michael J. Thorpy, a professor of neurology at Albert Einstien College of Medicine in New York, and Jessica, who lives with narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder with two main symptoms. The first one is being extremely tired and sleepy during the day, every day. The other is a type of muscle weakness called cataplexy which is triggered by emotions like laughing or being surprised. For many patients, it can be extremely mild, but for others, it can cause them to fall to the ground.
Jessica has both of these symptoms, and even though they're more controlled now, she still experiences constant fatigue no matter how much sleep she gets at night. She avoids situations that can bring an emotional reaction to avoid running the risk of triggering her cataplexy.
Although rare, Dr. Thorpy says if you have any of these symptoms you should see a doctor. You can head to https://knownarcolepsy.com/ to read more about the illness and find out about new treatments that can make a big difference to patients.
