Narcolepsy

As a nurse, if I were explaining to a patient with narcolepsy what happens inside of their body, I would begin with the basics. I would explain that there are two parts of your brain that are constantly at battle with each other, trying to shut each other down, a concept known as mutual inhibition. These two parts are known as the arousal areas, responsible for keeping you awake, and the vlPOA, which is responsible for making you fall asleep and keeping you asleep.
The arousal areas are powered by a chemical called orexin. Orexin is found in the hypothalamus and is spread to other parts of the brain. It is responsible for excitation and is fueled itself by factors such as stress, hunger, and your circadian rhythm. Orexin is constantly building up in your arousal areas and trying to keep you awake.
The vlPOA is fueled by Adenosine, another chemical within your
Because the adenosine builds quickly, it reaches a level higher than the amount of orexin within your body; causing the vlPOA to overpower your arousal areas and giving you sleep attacks.
Because adenosine diminishes while a person is asleep, the level of adenosine falls back to a normal amount- less than orexin, and you are able to wake up in a short amount of time. This cycle of adenosine building up too quickly and making you fall asleep can continue, causing multiple sleep attacks.
Unlike narcolepsy with those who have high levels of adenosine, those with insomnia have too much orexin in their bodies. This can happen naturally or because of the factors mentioned earlier including stress, hunger, and the circadian rhythm. This large amount of orexin causes the arousal areas to fight the vlPOA much better and forces a person with insomnia to remain