AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -People with narcolepsy frequently enter REM sleep rapidly, within 15 minutes of falling asleep. Also, the muscle weakness or dream activity of REM sleep can occur during wakefulness or be absent during sleep. This helps explain some symptoms of narcolepsy.

Detailed explanation-2: -You can’t control when you fall asleep. This is called a sleep attack. These periods can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They may happen after eating, while talking to someone, or during other situations.

Detailed explanation-3: -Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is abnormal in narcolepsy. REM sleep is the active, dreaming phase of sleep. In fact, narcolepsy is sometimes defined as the loss of boundaries between wakefulness, non-REM sleep, and REM sleep.

Detailed explanation-4: -What causes narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is often caused by a lack of the brain chemical hypocretin (also known as orexin), which regulates wakefulness. The lack of hypocretin is thought to be caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the cells that produce it or the receptors that allow it to work.

Detailed explanation-5: -Narcolepsy is a condition where your brain can’t control your ability to sleep or stay awake. People with this condition often fall asleep during the day, along with other symptoms. While this condition is serious and disruptive, it usually responds well to treatment.