What famous person has narcolepsy?

What famous person has narcolepsy?

Jimmy Kimmel, American television late night personality, comedian, and actor, has a rare sleep disorder called narcolepsy.

How did narcolepsy get its name?

The term “narcolepsy” is from the French narcolepsie. The French term was first used in 1880 by Jean-Baptiste-Édouard Gélineau, who used the Greek νάρκη (narkē), meaning “numbness”, and λῆψις (lepsis) meaning “attack”.

What is narcolepsy misdiagnosed as?

Narcolepsy in pediatric patients is often misdiagnosed as a more common medical condition, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy, depression, syncope, or other sleep disorders.

Was Churchill a narcoleptic?

Perhaps the most famous narcoleptic in history, Winston Churchill, evidently made the most of it, offering some words of wisdom: “You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner… Take off your clothes and get into bed… You get two days in one. Well, at least one-and-a-half.” Wood, H (2011).

Can you legally drive if you have narcolepsy?

Is It Legal to Drive With Narcolepsy? Yes, but it may not be safe. You need to be medically able to drive, which includes being able to stay awake.

Can narcoleptics fight sleep?

These attacks are known as “narcoleptic sleep attacks.” In between sleep attacks, you have normal levels of alertness, particularly if you are doing activities that keep you alert. Other symptoms of a narcoleptic attack include the following: Cataplexy: Sudden loss of muscle tone that makes you unable to move.

What is Type 2 narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy type 2 (narcolepsy without cataplexy) is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal manifestations of REM sleep on polysomnography and multiple sleep latency testing. Cataplexy is absent.

Are narcoleptics always tired?

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to control sleep-wake cycles. People with narcolepsy may feel rested after waking, but then feel very sleepy throughout much of the day.

Can you drive a car if you have narcolepsy?

When sleepiness is under good control, many people with narcolepsy are safe to drive. However, they must know their limits. Some individuals may be safe driving around town for 30 minutes but not on a four-hour, boring highway drive.

What is the life expectancy of someone with narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is not a degenerative disease, however, and patients do not develop other neurologic symptoms. In fact, older patients often report that their symptoms decrease in severity after age 60. Apart from falls or other accidents, narcolepsy does not affect a person’s life expectancy.

How many people have narcolepsy?

The exact number of people with narcolepsy in the United States is unknown. One estimate places the prevalence at .03 percent to .16 percent of the general population in various ethnic groups worldwide. One U.S. study placed the incidence of new cases of narcolepsy at .74 per 100,000 person-years in the general population in the United States.

How is narcolepsy diagnosed?

Methods of diagnosing narcolepsy and determining its severity include: Sleep history. Your doctor will ask you for a detailed sleep history. A part of the history involves filling out the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, which uses a series of short questions to gauge your degree of sleepiness.