Narcolepsy is a disorder that causes daytime sleepiness and affects more than 200,000 Americans, but can be helped with scheduled naps and drugs such as Provigil and Yohimbine. Those with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness as one of many symptoms. Narcoleptics may fall asleep while watching television, driving, eating, or even walking (Dement, 1995, pg. 45). Research on narcolepsy shows that the disorder seems to be a chemical imbalance of the sleep/wake cycle in the brain (Narcolepsy Information, 2000, pg. 4).
             Sleep in mammals is divided into two stages: REM and NREM sleep. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is the stage in which people dream. REM usually occurs sixty to ninety minutes after sleep onset, but with Narcoleptics, this process is reversed and REM occurs right away, sometimes causing hallucinations. NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) is where the sleeper don't dream (Dement, 1995, pg. 82).
             Although narcolepsy does not kill, it is worst in middle-aged persons and seems to run in families, primary family members run a risk sixty times greater than the rest of the population. Albeit doctors can easily distinguish sleepiness. Polysomnograms are helpful. Polysomnograms are machines that record brain waves, eye movements, and muscle tension (Dement, 1995, pg. 98). Narcolepsy usually begins in the teen years, but
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             is usually not diagnosed for ten or fifteen years because it is not very well known, even though it affects just as many people as Multiple Sclerosis (Causes of Narcolepsy, 2000, pg. 1). Narcoleptics suffer through loss of jobs, endless doctor appointments, and the embarrassment of falling asleep all the time and not knowing why. Narcoleptics have a higher rate of divorces and marital troubles.
             When a young child falls asleep in class, most teachers commonly assume that it is the parent's fault for not sending the child to bed ea...