Sleep paralysis occurs in about 60 percent of narcolepsy patient. It usually occurs when the patient is falling asleep or waking up. The person is conscious but move or speak, Episodes can last a few seconds or several minutes. They can cause panic in a patient if he or she …
Copyright ©2018 NORD – National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. All rights reserved. https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/narcolepsy/
Automatic behavior
Automatic behavior involves patients seeming to “falling asleep” while they are awake. They may perform routine tasks and not remember them afterward. They may also jump from topic to topic while speaking, or suddenly stop talking in the middle of a conversation.
Hallucinations
Some individuals with narcolepsy may experience hallucinations that may occur at the beginning or at the end of a sleep period. These are often vivid and frightening. Examples of hallucinations may include hearing a phone ring or a person walking nearby, seeing people or animals that aren’t there, or having …
Disrupted Nighttime Sleep (DNS)
Narcolepsy can also disrupt nighttime sleeping patterns. Affected individuals may frequently awaken during the night and may be wide awake for significant periods during the night. Despite disrupted sleep patterns, the total sleep time for people with narcolepsy in every 24 hour period is generally normal because they sleep repeatedly …
Cataplexy
Many individuals with narcolepsy experience weakness and the sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone (cataplexy). This often occurs during times of intense emotions such as laughter, anger, elation, and/or surprise. Episodes of cataplexy may occur as short periods of partial muscle weakness and can vary in duration and severity. In …