I've made a massive assumption that anyone who comes across my blog will have either experienced narcolepsy or have some knowledge of what the condition is. Apologies, I got a little ahead of myself. I remember how I was blinded by terminology that was difficult to understand when first researching the subject. So although I'm no medical specialist, I can describe how it feels from a patient perspective and explain the many symptoms (including the lesser discussed ones), using terms that may make more sense to someone new to the condition. But first...

What is it and why does it occur?

Most people have heard of the word and some think they know what the condition is. I can pretty much guarantee that unless you are a sufferer, the partner/carer of a sufferer or a specialist with a wealth of experience in treating or researching the area, you will not have anything near an accurate understanding of its symptoms and/or cause. I wouldn't be at all surprised if its the most incorrectly perceived condition ever! So what is it? Well in short a life-long, chronic neurological condition that causes no end of problems, all stemming from one area of the brain...the hypothalamus. Despite being very small in size, the hypothalamus has a very big role in maintaining automatic, biological functioning by producing hormones that control sleep, appetite, thirst, body temperature, moods and sex drive. It also influences hormone production within the gland system, including the incredibly important pituitary gland - the control room to a bigger system designed to maintain balance, encourage cell growth etc. So it's really NOT just a 'sleeping condition'!



