Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder that affects the central nervous system.

It is characterized by excessive day time sleeping, and this symptom is present in all the patients suffering from this disorder. People suffering this disease want to known what causes narcolepsy as it can wreak havoc in their lives.In the last few years, researchers have been able to more or less find out the causes of narcolepsy. According to researchers, the disease is caused due to certain abnormalities in the structure and function of nerve cells known as hypocretin neurons. These nerve cells are located in the brain, in the hypothalamus. Hypocretin neurons are responsible for secreting neurotransmitters called hypocretins.

Researchers believe that abnormalities present in the hypocretin neurons are responsible for causing excessive day time sleeping and abnormal REM sleep.

In laboratory setting, experiments conducted on dogs and mice revealed that abnormality in the hypocretin neurons was the main cause for narcolepsy developing. When researchers checked people suffering from this disease, they found that the patients had less number of hypocretin neurons in the brain. In addition, these patients also had less level of hypocretins in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Researchers believe that some people have less hypocretin neurons in the brain due to an autoimmune reaction of the body. In order words, the body's immune system attacks the normal brain cells, and as result the hypocretin neurons are destroyed. When these neurons are destroyed, the neurotransmitters secreted by them also reduce in level. However, researchers have still not been able to prove that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disease.

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