However, sleepiness in narcolepsy is more like a “sleep attack”, where an overwhelming sense of sleepiness comes on quickly. EDS is characterized by persistent sleepiness, regardless of how much sleep an individual gets at night. All individuals with narcolepsy have EDS, and it is often the most obvious symptom. Though all have excessive daytime sleepiness, only 10 to 25 percent of affected individuals will experience all of the other symptoms during the course of their illness. The most typical symptoms are excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations. Symptoms can partially improve over time, but they will never disappear completely. Narcolepsy is a lifelong problem, but it does not usually worsen as the person ages. Since people with narcolepsy are often misdiagnosed with other conditions, such as psychiatric disorders or emotional problems, it can take years for someone to get the proper diagnosis. However, since this condition often goes undiagnosed, the number may be higher. It is estimated that anywhere from 135,000 to 200,000 people in the United States have narcolepsy. Symptoms often start in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood (ages 7 to 25), but can occur at any time in life. Narcolepsy affects both males and females equally. If left undiagnosed or untreated, narcolepsy can interfere with psychological, social, and cognitive function and development and can inhibit academic, work, and social activities. This helps explain some symptoms of narcolepsy. Also, the muscle weakness or dream activity of REM sleep can occur during wakefulness or be absent during sleep. People with narcolepsy frequently enter REM sleep rapidly, within 15 minutes of falling asleep. Dreams occur during REM sleep, and the brain keeps muscles limp during this sleep stage, which prevents people from acting out their dreams. In a normal sleep cycle, a person enters rapid eye movement (REM) sleep after about 60 to 90 minutes. Other symptoms may include sudden muscle weakness while awake that makes a person go limp or unable to move (cataplexy), vivid dream-like images or hallucinations, and total paralysis just before falling asleep or just after waking up (sleep paralysis). People may unwillingly fall asleep even if they are in the middle of an activity like driving, eating, or talking. Narcolepsy can greatly affect daily activities. Many individuals with narcolepsy also experience uneven and interrupted sleep that can involve waking up frequently during the night. People with narcolepsy may feel rested after waking, but then feel very sleepy throughout much of the day. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to control sleep-wake cycles. What is the state of the science involving narcolepsy? And narcoleptics typically wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.What behavioral strategies help people cope with symptoms? Sleepiness in narcolepsy typically improves after a brief nap.
Scores higher than 15 out of 24 are often reported by narcoleptics. The Epworth sleepiness scale identifies the degree of excessive sleepiness. Sleep is also more fragmented with frequent transitions between sleep stages.ĭaytime sleepiness may result in double or blurred vision and automatic behaviors such as "zoning out" while driving. People with narcolepsy are more likely to go into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep within the first hour after falling asleep (and often within the first 15 minutes). Overnight sleep may be disturbed as well. Therefore, narcoleptics are prone to falling asleep at all times, with little warning (so-called "sleep attacks"). In narcolepsy, sleep begins to intrude upon wakefulness and elements of wakefulness intrude upon sleep. This is an increased desire to fall asleep and a lack of energy during the day even after an adequate night's sleep.
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