Narcolepsy

1. Narcolepsy Lauren Bandle

2. Narcolepsy Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system characterized by the brain's inability to control sleep-wake cycles. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience irresistible and sudden bouts of sleep, which can last from a few seconds to several minutes. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/narcolepsy/detail_narcolepsy.htm#191353201

3. Symptoms Excessive day-time sleepiness Enter REM sleep between 5-10 minutes after falling asleep Cataplexy Sudden loss of muscle tone and control

4. Megan Reynolds • My cousin • 23 years old • Graduated from K-State University last May.

5. Megan • Was diagnosed the summer before her senior year of high school (started showing symptoms 7 years before that) • Does not have cataplexy • Also has a mild case of Asperger’s

6. How it affects her life • She can’t drive • Almost failed out of college her first semester • When asked about how it affected her math and science education in high school, she said, “I don’t remember most of it” • “Terrifying to go to sleep and not know when you are going to wake up”

7. How she accommodates • Takes medication before bed, at 2 am, and a stimulant in the morning • Schedules every moment of the day • Kinesthetic learner

8. Accommodations Teachers Can Make • More kinesthetic learning • Flexibility on due dates • Tapping on desk or other stimulation during class time

9. Misconceptions • No spontaneous sleep like in the movies (Narcoleptic Argentinean from “The Moulin Rouge”) • More control over where you sleep not when • Students are not always lazy

10. Simulation • This is NOT HEALTHY! • Imagine the way you feel when you stay up all night… • Now imagine staying up all night the next night…and the next night • But you still have to do all the things you do on a normal basis during the day.