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Sleep Disorders - Symptom of a sleep disorder?
Expert: Karel Sleis - 11/4/2009
Question
When I was about 9 years old I was trying to do my homework and someone made me laugh intensely. After the laughing spell, I was so weak in the arms I couldn't even hold my pencil and my legs felt very loose beneath me. My parents took notice of me not being able to hold my pencil at all, which eventually led my doctors to diagnose me with carpal tunnel syndrome. I do this when I'm upset and afraid too (as my body does tend to overreact to stress in this way), but it's mostly just when I laugh. Recently though, someone mentioned to me that this could possibly be a symptom of a sleep disorder?
*I have very disturbed sleep patterns. Very prone to sleep paralysis, night terrors/nightmares, dreaming immediately in falling asleep; I can be on the phone, fall asleep, and still talk to the other person; I snore, I fall asleep quickly, I have Tourette's so I act out my tics in my sleep, and people who view my sleep are often disturbed and scared (for me) because of my choking/gasping and flailing, etc. I also get this electric shock like feeling under my legs that causes me to jerk my legs and frequently wakes me up. I know I have sleep apnea (diagnosed), but is my weakness when laughing related to the other things I've experienced?
Answer
My guess is you also may be having cataplexy a sysmptom of narcolepsy. I suggest you go back to the sleep center for another sleep study . Cataplexy is a partial or complete loss of muscle tone during laughter, crying, pain ,fright any emotion. You know you are haveing cataplexy because your eyes maybe closed yet totally conscious. You never lose consciousness. Go to sleepnet.com click on disorders narcolepsy. Go to Y.A.W.N. young americans with narcolepsy, and narcolepsy network.org. Antidepressants are given for the cataplexy, but in lower doses research doesnt know why but they do something to prevent the muscles from going weak as well as help the other symptoms. For the sleep apnea, if you are overweight, even losing 5 pounds can help. feel free to email again karel
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