Emotional Health

Symptoms

• Cataplexy: sudden episodes of loss of muscle function, ranging from slight weakness (such as limpness at the neck or knees, sagging facial muscles, or inability to speak clearly) to complete body collapse.
• Sleep paralysis: temporary inability to talk or move when falling asleep or waking up. It may last a few seconds to minutes.
• Hypnogogic hallucinations: vivid, often frightening, dream-like experiences that occur while dozing or falling asleep.

Only about 20-25% of people with narcolepsy experience all symptoms. The symptoms of narcolepsy, especially the excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy, often become severe enough to cause serious disruptions in a person's social, personal, and professional lives, and severely limit activities.

In most cases, the first symptom of narcolepsy to appear is excessive and overwhelming daytime sleepiness. The other symptoms may begin alone or in combination months or years after the onset of the daytime sleep attacks.

You should be checked for narcolepsy if:

• You often feel excessively and overwhelmingly sleepy during the day, even after having had a full night's sleep;
• You fall asleep when you do not intend to, such as while having dinner, talking, driving, or working;
• You collapse suddenly or your neck muscles feel too weak to hold up your head when you laugh or become angry, surprised, or shocked; or
• You find yourself briefly unable to talk or move while falling asleep or waking up.