Narcolepsy
A chronic neurological sleep disorder causing overwhelming daytime sleepiness, sudden muscle weakness triggered by emotion
Symptoms
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Sudden sleep attacks
- Cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness)
- Sleep paralysis
- Vivid hallucinations while falling asleep
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
- Disturbed nighttime sleep
- Memory problems
- Automatic behaviors
A chronic neurological sleep disorder causing overwhelming daytime sleepiness, sudden muscle weakness triggered by emotion (cataplexy), sleep paralysis, and vivid hallucinations while falling asleep, caused by loss of hypocretin/orexin-producing brain cells (likely autoimmune) in type 1 narcolepsy. Diagnosis uses overnight sleep studies and a multiple sleep latency test. Treatment includes scheduled naps, stimulant medications (modafinil) for sleepiness, and sodium oxybate or newer oxybate formulations that treat both sleepiness and cataplexy simultaneously. Newer non-stimulant orexin receptor agonists are an emerging, promising treatment class. Surgery has no role.
