![]() ![]() Narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia are two different disorders that have excessive daytime sleepiness as a major symptom, and, in some cases, these disorders may be difficult to differentiate clinically. Do you feel still feel sleepy even though you recently had a long nap?.Do you struggle throughout the day, never feeling fully alert even though you had a full night of sleep?.Are you often overwhelmed by a feeling of sleepiness or falling asleep during the day?.You may or may not experience all symptoms listed above, however it is important to seek help. If you answer yes to the following questions, you may suspect narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia and should consult a qualified sleep medicine physician. When should you suspect narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia? Such a disturbed sleep at night may be so prominent in some patients that they may have a primary complaint of sleep maintenance insomnia. Disturbed night sleep and insomnia - Narcoleptics often experience frequent awakenings at night and difficulty maintaining sleep, but tend to have little problem initiating sleep.Sleep paralysis can be very frightening, especially when combined with vivid hallucinations. Sleep paralysis - Narcoleptics may experience sleep paralysis at sleep onset or upon awakening, feeling unable to move or talk for a few seconds to several minutes even though they are awake and aware of their surroundings.These hallucinations can vary from simple images to nightmare-like events. Hypnagogic or hyponopompic hallucinations - One out of every two narcoleptics experience vivid, dream-like hallucinations called hypnagogic (from wake to sleep) or hypnopompic (from sleep to wake) hallucinations, which occur during the transitions between wakefulness and sleep.Although patients with narcolepsy may experience cataplexy, many narcoleptics will never experience cataplexy. Cataplectic events can last from a few seconds to several minutes. The loss of muscle tone may range from slight weakness (head drop, arm weakness, slurred speech, or buckling knees) to total body collapse, during which time the narcoleptic may appear unconscious, even though the individual actually remains awake and alert. Cataplexy - Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone specifically triggered by strong emotions such as laughter, startle or fear, and is a symptom that is only found in narcolepsy.Excessive sleepiness may be partially relieved by short “therapeutic” naps lasting from a few minutes to an hour. In addition, the excessive sleepiness may adversely affect a patient’s short-term memory and performance. Narcoleptics have a tendency to easily nod off when inactive and have a higher risk of motor vehicle accidents. Excessive sleepiness may include irresistible urges to sleep throughout the day. Excessive Daytime Sleepiness - Excessive daytime sleepiness is usually the first symptom to appear and often the most disabling.You may have narcolepsy if you experience some of the following symptoms: ![]()
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