What are the differences between Narcolepsy and sleep apnea? What are the similarities?
by Sarah Aniston
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The two are very different.
Narcolepcy is falling asleep anywhere at any time you are awake one minute and asleep the next. It is very dangerous because you could have an episode while you are driving your car or something like that and have a grim outcome!
Sleep apnea is actually a medical condition when you stop breathing during the night. The tongue falls back in the throat and cuts off the trachea (windpipe) and you stop breathing. It can last 2-3 seconds or upwards to 30 seconds.
I have been told that if you have sleep apnea you can get narcolepsy due to lack of oxygen to the brain. The only way to tell if you have sleep apnea is to have a sleep study done in which you will be monitored during the night and tech will see if you stop breathing. If so there are different ways to correct the problem from CPAP or BIPAP machines or surgery.
Hope that helps.
Narcolepsy is a disease where you fall asleep at any time without warning. Its difficult to treat.
Sleep apnoea is a condition when you stop breathing in your sleep for short periods of time. Usually most common in overweight ppl. It can be treated with medication, weight loss and surgery.
Try googling them both for a more detailed answer
They’re actually quite different, though they can both cause sleeping spells during the day. Narcolepsy is a disorder in which the sufferer will suddenly fall asleep for no obvious reason (and go almost immediately into REM sleep) it can be very dangerous as it can happen while driving or other similarly bad times. It’s treatable, but the cause is not well known.
Sleep apnea (there are two types, but obstructive is far more common than central) is a tendency to stop breathing for periods of time during the night. Usually this is not enough to wake the person up, but it does cause very poor sleep, so people who have this are often very tired during the day and often fall asleep (though not in the sudden way that a narcoleptic would). It is also related to pulmonary problems and high blood pressure. It is also treatable, and can often be cured or made less severe with the proper treatment (which often includes weight loss for obstructive sleep apnea)