![]() They can be both frightening and confusing.ĭisturbed night-time sleep: Because the sleep-wake cycle is different for people with narcolepsy, they may struggle to stay awake during the day but then also struggle to go to sleep and stay asleep at night. Hallucinations: People with narcolepsy can have visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations which can occur upon falling asleep (hypnagogic) or waking up (hypnopompic). Sleep paralysis may be experienced by about 15% of the population whether they have narcolepsy or not. Sleep paralysis: The individual is unable to move for a few seconds or minutes, usually upon falling asleep or waking up. They can be very scary for the individual and depending on their surroundings, they can also be extremely vulnerable. While these episodes generally last a few seconds to a few minutes, there is a thing called Status Cataplecticus, which are longer episodes of cataplexy. During a full body collapse the individual is fully conscious however they are unable to move, speak or open their eyes. Some may feel their head nod, jaw slacken, or their knees buckle momentarily, while others may have a full body collapse. The severity and duration of cataplexy episodes varies among individuals. For someone without narcolepsy to understand the impact of this relentless sleepiness they would have to stay awake for 24 to 72 hours and then carry out their usual day-to-day activities.Ĭataplexy: Episodes of muscle weakness usually triggered by strong emotions such as happiness, laughter, surprise, or anger, but can also be triggered by stress, exhaustion, over stimulation, or feeling anxious or overwhelmed. While not all symptoms are experienced by or in the same way in people with narcolepsy, the main symptoms are:Įxcessive daytime sleepiness: People with narcolepsy encounter extreme sleepiness during the day and regardless of how much they sleep, never feel refreshed or recharged. This also makes it difficult to provide an exact number for people living with narcolepsy, but it is estimated to be 1 in 2000. Due to low awareness (even among health professionals), and misperceptions, it usually takes several years for people with narcolepsy to receive a diagnosis while even more are currently undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. While symptoms often start in childhood and adolescence, it can occur at any age, in any gender and with no previous history of narcolepsy in the family. Narcolepsy is a chronic and incurable neurological disorder that impairs the brain’s ability to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. ![]()
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