Narcolepsy Quiz
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Tired all the time
Sleep paralysis
Hallucinations
Sudden tiredness during the day
Auditory hallucinations
Tactile hallucinations
Sudden muscle weakness
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Can't stay asleep
Seeing things when waking up
Falling asleep at work
Cataplexy attack
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder causing excessive daytime drowsiness. The cause is unclear but may involve genetic factors and abnormal nerve cell signaling in the brain. In addition to daytime sleepiness, symptoms include sudden sleep attacks, loss of muscle tone, and, occasionally, hallucinations when awaking from sleep in the the morning.
Typical Symptoms of Narcolepsy
- Episodes of sudden, overwhelming daytime sleepiness
- Headache that worsens with lack of sleep
- Weakness in arms or legs triggered by strong emotions
- Headache that gets worse in the morning
- I frequently have nightmares.
- Experiences sleep paralysis frequently
- Difficulty concentrating
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
Diagnostic Questions for Narcolepsy
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Do you have episodes of sudden, overwhelming daytime sleepiness?
- Does your headache get worse when you haven't slept enough?
- Do you have weakness in your arms or legs when you feel strong emotions?
- Do your headaches get worse in the morning?
- Do you have frequent nightmares?
Treatment of Narcolepsy
Treatment for narcolepsy focuses on managing symptoms through a personalized combination of medication and lifestyle adjustments. Stimulants can help reduce excessive daytime sleepiness. Antidepressants are used to control cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations. Cognitive-enhancing drugs may support attention and memory. Emerging therapies, including orexin receptor agonists, offer promise for symptom control. Scheduled naps, regular sleep–wake routines, and avoiding alcohol or heavy meals before bed can enhance treatment effectiveness. Ongoing follow-up is essential to adjust treatment as needed.
Reviewed By:
Benjamin Kummer, MD (Neurology)
Dr Kummer is Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), with joint appointment in Digital and Technology Partners (DTP) at the Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS) as Director of Clinical Informatics in Neurology. As a triple-board certified practicing stroke neurologist and informaticist, he has successfully improved clinical operations at the point of care by acting as a central liaison between clinical neurology faculty and DTP teams to implement targeted EHR configuration changes and workflows, as well as providing subject matter expertise on health information technology projects across MSHS. | Dr Kummer also has several years’ experience building and implementing several informatics tools, presenting scientific posters, and generating a body of peer-reviewed work in “clinical neuro-informatics” – i.e., the intersection of clinical neurology, digital health, and informatics – much of which is centered on digital/tele-health, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. He has spearheaded the Clinical Neuro-Informatics Center in the Department of Neurology at ISMMS, a new research institute that seeks to establish the field of clinical neuro-informatics and disseminate knowledge to the neurological community on the effects and benefits of clinical informatics tools at the point of care.
Shohei Harase, MD (Neurology)
Dr. Harase spent his junior and senior high school years in Finland and the U.S. After graduating from the University of Washington (Bachelor of Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology), he worked for Apple Japan Inc. before entering the University of the Ryukyus School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Hospital, where he received the Best Resident Award in 2016 and 2017. In 2021, he joined the Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, specializing in hyperacute stroke.
Content updated on Aug 5, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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Symptoms Related to Narcolepsy
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FAQs
Q.
Always Tired? The Reality of Hypersomnia & Medically Approved Next Steps
A.
Excessive daytime sleepiness despite adequate sleep may be hypersomnia, a real and treatable condition marked by long unrefreshing sleep, difficulty waking, brain fog, and unintended dozing, often caused by sleep apnea or narcolepsy, medical or mental health issues, medications, or irregular sleep patterns. There are several factors to consider; medically approved next steps include keeping a sleep diary, clinician evaluation with blood tests and sleep studies, treating underlying causes, and using evidence based wake promoting therapies and structured sleep scheduling, and you can find key safety alerts and step by step guidance below that could change your next move.
References:
* Dauvilliers Y, Bassetti CLA, Del Rosso LM, Mignot E. Hypersomnias of Central Origin: An Update on Classification, Clinical Features, Diagnosis, and Treatment. J Clin Med. 2023 Apr 17;12(8):3017. PMID: 37198188; PMCID: PMC10140224.
* Trotti LM, Sunderam S. Idiopathic Hypersomnia: A Narrative Review of Clinical Features, Pathophysiology, and Treatment Options. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021 Jul 1;17(7):1475-1488. PMID: 33967838; PMCID: PMC8652098.
* Scammell TE, Thorpy MJ. Hypersomnolence: An Overview of the Spectrum of Disorders and Their Treatment. Sleep Med Clin. 2020 Dec;15(4):423-431. PMID: 33183605; PMCID: PMC7977759.
* Thorpy MJ. Novel Therapies for Hypersomnia. Curr Treat Options Neurol. 2021 Feb 17;23(2):6. PMID: 33595781; PMCID: PMC7890737.
* Billiard M, Dauvilliers Y. Hypersomnolence disorders: Updates from the ICSD-3 and DSM-5. Sleep Med Rev. 2021 Dec;60:101538. PMID: 34364235.
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Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Bassetti CLA, Adamantidis A, Burdakov D, Han F, Gay S, Kallweit U, Khatami R, Koning F, Kornum BR, Lammers GJ, Liblau RS, Luppi PH, Mayer G, Pollmächer T, Sakurai T, Sallusto F, Scammell TE, Tafti M, Dauvilliers Y. Narcolepsy - clinical spectrum, aetiopathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment. Nat Rev Neurol. 2019 Sep;15(9):519-539. doi: 10.1038/s41582-019-0226-9. Epub 2019 Jul 19. PMID: 31324898.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-019-0226-9Scammell TE. Narcolepsy. N Engl J Med. 2015 Dec 31;373(27):2654-62. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1500587. PMID: 26716917.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMra1500587Hanin C, Arnulf I, Maranci JB, Lecendreux M, Levinson DF, Cohen D, Laurent-Levinson C. Narcolepsy and psychosis: A systematic review. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2021 Jul;144(1):28-41. doi: 10.1111/acps.13300. Epub 2021 May 5. PMID: 33779983; PMCID: PMC8360149.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acps.13300