Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that severely disrupts the bodys sleeping and waking cycles.
It is characterized by extreme daytime drowsiness.
Frequent Symptoms
While narcolepsy is a chronic condition, it doesnt get worse as you age.
Theresa Chiechi / Verywell
The most common symptoms seen in narcolepsy cases result from disruptions in the bodys sleeping and wake cycles.
It arises regardless of how much sleep a person gets.
These are short periods in which the desire to sleep comes on quickly and is insatiable.
In between sleep attacks, narcoleptic people feel rested and alert.
Cateplexy
A significant portion of narcolepsy cases also entails cataplexy.
In the most severe cases, people retain complete consciousness while experiencing a complete shutdown of bodily motion.
Though these episodeswhich last a couple of minutes at a timecan be distressing, theyre largely harmless.
In these cases, vivid dreams or acting out and moving while dreaming interrupt periods of rest at night.
Tasks performed while asleep are impaired, however, and people wont have a conscious memory of doing them.
This condition is also associated withsleep apneaandrestless legs syndrome(uncontrolled motion of the feet or legs).
It occurs just as frequently in men and women, and onset can happen at any age.
Others may experience serious problems as a result of cataplexy or become endangered by regular automatic behaviors.
The good news is that this chronic condition can be effectively managed.
Its safe to say that the future is growing brighter for the narcoleptic population.
Nonetheless, it can be challenging to live with narcolepsy.
There can also be cumulative, long-term effects on emotional and psychological health.
National Institutes of Health.Narcolepsy.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Narcolepsy fact sheet.
National Organization of Rare Disorders.Narcolepsy.
