

The term “idiopathic” refers to a condition without an identifiable cause. Narcolepsy is a potential cause of hypersomnia. Hypersomnia is when an individual experiences excessive daytime sleepiness.

In fact, in some individuals, they may improve slightly over time. The symptoms of narcolepsy generally don’t get worse with age. Automatic behavior is a task or activity that’s done without having any memory of performing it. People with narcolepsy often have restless sleep and frequently wake up in the night. Often, a person may feel that someone else is in the room with them. People with narcolepsy can experience intense, potentially frightening sounds or visions upon falling asleep or waking up. While sleep paralysis isn’t harmful, it can be frightening when it happens. Sleep paralysis is a temporary loss of the ability to move or speak either before falling asleep or after waking up. Episodes can last from seconds to minutes. People with narcolepsy and cataplexy have what’s now referred to as type 1 narcolepsy, while those without cataplexy have what’s referred to as type 2 narcolepsy.

Episodes of cataplexy can range in severity, from feeling weak to completely collapsing. Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle control. Other symptoms of narcolepsy can include: This means that an individual may experience more fragmented, restless sleep. However, in people with narcolepsy, these typical sleep cycles are disrupted. During this time, you may dream.ĭuring the night, you typically cycle through NREM and REM sleep. After you’ve moved through the stages of NREM sleep, you enter REM sleep. When you fall asleep, you typically move through three stages of NREM sleep first. You may know that sleep has several cycles that are associated with different levels of brain activity. For someone with narcolepsy, the brain is unable to regulate this cycle, which leads to symptoms like excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep attacks. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the sleep-wake cycle, which is controlled by the brain. Let’s go into a little more detail about each condition and how they can present. While there are some similarities between the two conditions, there are also several differences. You may also feel like your mind has gone blank. Feeling tired all the time can lead to brain fog, which is characterized by problems with memory, attention, or concentration. A sleep attack can last several seconds or up to a few minutes. During a sleep attack, an individual falls asleep without warning. This can include feeling extremely tired during the day or an overwhelming need to sleep during the day. Narcolepsy and IH share three important symptoms:
