Learning objectives

• describe and explain narcolepsy
• describe and explain sleep walking

Narcolepsy
- Characterised by excessive sleepiness and loss of muscle tone.
- it is estimated that it effects 3million people worldwide

Symptoms

• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Cataplexy
• Automatic behaviours
• Early REM

Causes

• Not a psychological illness
• neurological condition
• genetic link (Mignot)
• Low levels of neurotransmitter - Hypocretin 
• (Mignot) (Siegel et al)

Sleepwalking
- characterised by moving around naturally whilst asleep
- more common in children than adults
- also known as somnambulism

Symptoms

• moving around whilst asleep
• associated with deep sleep
• more common in first half of the night
• there can be more than one episode per night
• usually no recollection when they wake up

Causes

• Incomplete arousal 
• Genetic link (Horne)(Hublin et al)(Bassetti)
• Neuro-chemical explanation (Oliviero)
• Sleep deprived individuals (Zadra et al)
• Restless leg syndrome