Narcolepsy vs Sleep Apnea: How These Sleep Disorders Affect Your Mental Health
Narcolepsy and sleep apnea are sleep disorders that can have a debilitating impact on daily life. Both have severe symptoms caused by disrupted sleep, which makes it common for these two conditions to be confused for one another. Determining which condition someone suffers from is essential to getting the proper treatment and recovering from their sleep disorder.
Let’s take a closer look at narcolepsy and sleep apnea to determine the similarities and differences between these two sleep disorders.
What is Narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that can cause sudden and uncontrollable “sleep attacks”. These sleep attacks often occur during the day, and they can happen at dangerous times like while cooking or driving.
In addition to sleep attacks, someone with narcolepsy may experience frequent episodes of intense muscle weakness called cataplexy. It can look like a drooping head or knees buckling. During cataplexy episodes, someone may be aware of their surroundings but is unable to move, similar to sleep paralysis. The two types of narcolepsy are determined by the presence of cataplexy. Individuals with type 1 narcolepsy will experience cataplexy, while those with type 2 will not.
Symptoms of Narcolepsy
Additional symptoms of narcolepsy include:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
- Sleep paralysis
- Sleep-related hallucinations
- Quickly enters rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
The symptoms of narcolepsy prevent someone from maintaining regular sleep patterns, and can be severely disruptive to daily life. While the exact causes of narcolepsy are unknown, scientists have determined that cataplexy is due to a lack of hypocretin—a chemical in the brain that prevents the onset of sleep and helps keep us awake.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes breathing to repeatedly start and stop during sleep. The common signs that someone may have sleep apnea are loud snoring and persistent tiredness after a full night’s sleep. There are two main types of sleep apnea: obstructive and central.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea. It occurs when someone’s throat muscles relax and block airflow. Central sleep apnea (CSA) occurs when the brain doesn’t send signals to your muscles responsible for breathing. CSA is a result of issues with the central nervous system and can be caused by other conditions like a stroke or Lou Gherig’s disease.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Both types of sleep apnea can cause similar symptoms. These symptoms include:
- Gasping for air while falling asleep
- Disrupted breathing while asleep
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
The symptoms of sleep apnea cause difficulties with falling asleep and staying asleep. Difficulty sleeping contributes to daytime issues like irritability, low energy, and a lack of concentration. Due to having similar daytime issues, sleep apnea is commonly mistaken for narcolepsy.
Similarities Between Narcolepsy and Sleep Apnea
One of the most important similarities between these two sleep disorders is excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). EDS causes intense fatigue throughout the day, and it leads to a decline in cognitive function and mental health.
EDS impairs a person’s ability to concentrate, manage emotions, and stay alert. It takes a serious toll on someone’s work productivity or school performance. EDS and daily fatigue are also known to cause interpersonal issues and stress on relationships. The negative impact of EDS on daily life can ultimately lead to the development of additional mental health issues.
Depression and anxiety are commonly associated with both sleep disorders. This is largely due to the disruption these disorders have on daily life. Also, constant fatigue and lack of sleep disrupts the body’s ability to regulate mood and emotions. This all can lead to depression and anxiety, which exacerbate the symptoms of the sleep disorder.
Read our full guide on sleep disorders to learn more about symptoms, treatment, and their impact on mental health.
Narcolepsy and sleep apnea are similar in the negative impact they have on someone’s quality of life. That being said, there are distinct differences between the two that make each sleep disorder unique.
Differences Between Narcolepsy and Sleep Apnea
Narcolepsy and sleep apnea are distinguished by their unique symptoms, causes, and treatments. Symptoms like hallucinations and cataplexy are only found in narcolepsy, and difficulties with breathing are only found in sleep apnea. Narcolepsy can be caused by a chemical imbalance, while sleep apnea is largely due to airway obstruction.
Due to these differences, treatment looks different for each sleep disorder too. Narcolepsy is mainly treated with medications that help keep people awake during the day and asleep at night. Sleep apnea caused by airway obstruction can be fixed with lifestyle changes, specialized equipment, and, sometimes, surgery.
At Sequoia Behavioral Health, we work closely with our clients to determine which medications and therapy are most beneficial for long term symptom recovery.
While there are some key distinctions between narcolepsy and sleep apnea, the negative impact of both these disorders can be mitigated with proper treatment and therapy.
Reducing the Impact of Narcolepsy and Sleep Apnea
Medical treatment and therapy work together to reduce the toll that these two sleep disorders have on someone’s life. Psychotherapy can help change the negative thoughts and behaviors associated with the lack of sleep caused by these two sleep disorders.
At Sequoia Behavioral Health, our professional therapists can provide relief from your sleep disorder and the mental health conditions that come with it. By working with a mental health professional, you can learn the necessary skills needed to manage your symptoms and recover from your sleep disorder.
Contact us today to learn more about treatment at Sequoia.