What is narcolepsy with cataplexy?

What is narcolepsy with cataplexy?

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that causes persistent sleepiness and additional symptoms such as brief episodes of muscle weakness known as cataplexy, vivid, dreamlike hallucinations, brief episodes of paralysis when falling asleep or upon awakening (sleep paralysis), and fragmented nighttime sleep.

Is idiopathic hypersomnia rare?

Idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a rare neurological disorder. Treatment can help, but there’s no cure.

What is excessive daytime sleepiness?

Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) is a condition where people fall asleep repeatedly during the day; sometimes in the middle of eating a meal or during a conversation.

What is idiopathic hypersomnia?

Idiopathic hypersomnia is an uncommon sleep disorder that causes you to be excessively sleepy during the day even after a good or prolonged night’s sleep.

What triggers narcolepsy attacks?

It is often triggered by sudden, strong emotions such as laughter, fear, anger, stress, or excitement. The symptoms of cataplexy may appear weeks or even years after the onset of EDS. Some people may only have one or two attacks in a lifetime, while others may experience many attacks a day.

What is the difference between idiopathic hypersomnia and narcolepsy?

Idiopathic hypersomnia is similar in presentation to narcolepsy, but patients with this condition have no sleep-onset rapid eye movement (REM) period, and naps are unrefreshing. In addition, idiopathic hypersomnia is not associated with cataplexy.

Are you born with idiopathic hypersomnia?

Is there a genetic origin in idiopathic hypersomnia, like in narcolepsy? RESPONSE: It is common (approximately 33%) for IH patients to have a family member with similar symptoms; therefore, researchers believe that IH likely has a substantial genetic component, but the details are not yet known.

How do I know if I’m narcoleptic?

Excessive daytime sleepiness. People with narcolepsy fall asleep without warning, anywhere, anytime. For example, you may be working or talking with friends and suddenly you nod off, sleeping for a few minutes up to a half-hour. When you awaken, you feel refreshed, but eventually you get sleepy again.

What is Type 2 narcolepsy?

Type 2 narcolepsy (previously termed narcolepsy without cataplexy). People with this condition experience excessive daytime sleepiness but usually do not have muscle weakness triggered by emotions. They usually also have less severe symptoms and have normal levels of the brain hormone hypocretin.

Is hypersomnia a mental illness?

Further complicating nosologic distinctions are a lack of clear and consistent definitions of hypersomnia as a diagnostic feature of specific mood disorder subtypes in DSM-5. As a diagnostic criterion of MDD, hypersomnia is described as prolonged sleep episodes at night or increased daytime sleep [9].