Narcolepsy
Overview
SymptomsandDiagnosis
Symptoms
People with the disorder have one or more of these problems:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Muscles that go limp without warning when a person is awake (often triggered by strong emotions like laughter)
- Brief times when the person cannot move while waking up or falling asleep
- Sudden attacks of sleep that may happen many times during the day without control
- Vivid dreams that happen while waking up or falling asleep
Brainstem—Area of Brain Related to Alertness |
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Diagnosis
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history. A physical exam may be done.
Tests that may be done to diagnose the disorder include:
- Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) to assess daytime sleepiness
- Polysomnography to study brain waves and how the body works during sleep
- A lumbar puncture to measure the level of hypocretin around the brain and spinal cord
Treatments
This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
Edits to original content made by Denver Health.
Copyright © EBSCO Information Services
All rights reserved.
RESOURCES
Narcolepsy Network https://narcolepsynetwork.org
National Sleep Foundation https://sleepfoundation.org
CANADIAN RESOURCES
Better Sleep Council Canada https://www.bettersleep.ca
Canadian Sleep Society https://css-scs.ca
References
Narcolepsy. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/narcolepsy . Accessed October 1, 2020.
Narcolepsy. National Sleep Foundation website. Available at: https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders-problems/narcolepsy-and-sleep. Accessed October 1, 2020.
Narcolepsy fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke website. Available at: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Narcolepsy-Fact-Sheet. Accessed October 1, 2020.
Scammell TE. Narcolepsy. N Engl J Med. 2015 Dec 31;373(27):2654-2662.