Home Health Center Narcolepsy   Narcolepsy Signs And Symptoms

Symptoms of Narcolepsy

 The first signs and symptoms of narcolepsy generally occur between the ages of 15 and 30. Common symptoms include:

• A strong urge to sleep during the day accompanied by extreme feelings of drowsiness. This is often followed by a nap or a sleep attack. These periods of daytime sleepiness can last up to fifteen minutes or even longer. EDS or excessive daytime sleepiness is present even after a good night’s sleep. People suffering from this condition often complain about being tired, feeling lazy or having no energy. EDS can increase irritability and affect concentration and the ability to complete any tasks.
• When daytime sleepiness gets too much, the person succumbs to a sleep attack. Sleep attacks can occur at any time of the day – while walking, talking, eating or even driving. After the nap, you tend to get up feeling refreshed.
• During the sleep sessions, you may experience vivid dreams and even dream-like (hynpagogic) hallucinations in the time between wakefulness and sleep.
• There may be a period of paralysis during the time you start falling asleep or when you wake up. This is known as sleep paralysis and can last for up to fifteen minutes.
• A characteristic symptom of narcolepsy is known as cataplexy. This refers to the inability to move or loss of muscle tone when you are wake. During this time your jaw will slacken, your knees may buckle and your head may fall forward. Slurred speech and falling is common during this time. Cataplexy attacks can last for less than 30 seconds and are therefore often not even recognized. These attacks can be triggered by strong emotions such as anger or laughter.
• Other symptoms of narcolepsy include lack of concentration, restless sleeping patterns at night, vivid nightmares, blurred or disturbed vision, and carrying out normal behavior such as talking or moving around when you are still asleep (automatic behavior).
  

Symptoms of narcolepsy can vary from person to person. In some cases the symptoms may be intense and frequent whereas in others they can remain mild and even stay unnoticed.


Frequently asked questions

• How To Treat Sleep Disorders?
• How Can I Naturally Treat Narcolepsy?

References

1. Imran Ahmed, Michael Thorpy, Clinical Features, Diagnosis and Treatment of Narcolepsy, Clinics in Chest Medicine, Volume 31, Issue 2, June 2010, Pages 371-381, ISSN 0272-5231, 10.1016/j.ccm.2010.02.014.
2. Michael Thorpy, Therapeutic advances in narcolepsy, Sleep Medicine, Volume 8, Issue 4, June 2007, Pages 427-440, ISSN 1389-9457, 10.1016/j.sleep.2007.03.004.
3. Ian Morrison, Renata L. Riha, Excessive daytime sleepiness and narcolepsy — An approach to investigation and management, European Journal of Internal Medicine, Volume 23, Issue 2, March 2012, Pages 110-117, ISSN 0953-6205, 10.1016/j.ejim.2011.09.005.