Patients with Narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness and may fall asleep at inappropriate times. Other symptoms include: cataplexy (a sudden loss of muscle control associated with strong emotions), disturbed nocturnal sleep, sleep paralysis, and hypnogogic hallucinations (in the sleep/wake transition).
Researchers have demonstrated a link between narcolepsy and certain genes.However, genetic testing is not often required as clinical findings from an overnight Sleep Study and a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) generally provide adequate information for diagnosis.
While as yet there is no cure for Narcolepsy, prescription stimulants and scheduled daytime naps improve daytime wakefulness, while a REM suppressant can abolish cataplexy.
Although the prevalence of Narcolepsy is considered to be low, it is twice that of multiple sclerosis. While the symptoms of Narcolepsy tend to appear during adolescence, the disorder is most commonly diagnosed during the patient's 30s or 40s.