Narcoleptics
should inform employers and colleagues about symptoms
GERMANY
- If you have the neurological sleep disorder narcolepsy, you
may benefit from telling the people in your social environment
and your employer you have the condition.
“Only
by doing so, can colleagues and bosses come to understand the
uncontrollable need to sleep and know when to relieve sufferers
from dangerous duties such as operating heavy machinery,” say
Christa Roth-Sackenheim, chairwoman of the Association of German
Psychiatrists (BVDP) in Neuss.
Need
to sleep
The
main symptom of narcolepsy is overwhelming drowsiness and a need
to sleep at inappropriate times of the day.
A
narcoleptic can become very tired or fall asleep in the middle
of a conversation, while eating or driving a vehicle.
According
to the BVDP, this condition usually lasts for between 10 or 20
minutes, after which the person feels refreshed for a short time
before quickly becoming drowsy again.
“Other
symptoms are sudden loss of muscle tone, which can be caused by
an outburst of emotion such as laughter or anger, paralysis of
the senses while falling asleep, disrupted sleep pattern during
the night and loss of muscle function while waking up,”
explains Roth-Sackenheim.
If
you suffer from any of these symptoms you should consult a
specialist doctor for advice.
Under
emotional pressure
“Narcoleptics
are often under emotional pressure because they are looked upon
as lazy or simply pretending to be ill,” says Roth- Sackenheim.
There
are several treatments for narcolepsy including drug therapy and
sleep training. In addition, a regular sleeping pattern and
scheduled daytime naps can also help.
Avoiding
alcohol and nicotine as well as normal body weight can also help
narcoleptics deal with the symptoms.
About
40,000 people in Germany suffer from some form of narcolepsy.
The
symptoms usually appear during teenage years, and in rare
occasions after the age of 35. The cause of narcolepsy is not
known.
DPA
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