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Clinical overview

• Narcolepsy is a central disorder of sleep-wake regulation marked by chronic daytime sleepiness and, in some patients, cataplexy, REM-related hallucinations, sleep paralysis, or fragmented nighttime sleep. In practice, the story often comes out as irresistible sleep episodes and a lifetime of feeling abnormally sleepy.
• Core symptom: Excessive daytime sleepiness is the anchor symptom. The person is often sleepy even after what sounds like adequate nighttime sleep.
• Cataplexy matters: When present, cataplexy strongly shifts the differential and points toward narcolepsy type 1.
• Workup: Diagnosis usually depends on sleep medicine testing, especially polysomnography plus MSLT, and sometimes CSF hypocretin data.

Related Guides

• Narcolepsy DSM Criteria Guide
• Narcolepsy Scales and Assessment Tools
• Narcolepsy Treatments and Medications
• When to Seek Professional Help for Narcolepsy