How to Diagnose Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is recognized as a neurological sleep disorder. It originates in the portion of the brain that controls how a person knows when it's time to go to sleep or and when it's time to awaken. It can cause extreme drowsiness at any time. While there is no specific cure for narcolepsy, correctly identifying the disorder can help you to minimize its symptoms.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Be aware of extreme bouts of daytime fatigue. You may feel sleepy at any time of the day.
2. Notice if you speech becomes slurred or your muscles feel like jelly. You may be experiencing a condition known as cataplexy, which occurs in approximately 70 percent of those suffering from narcolepsy.
3. Recognize if your body feels paralyzed, especially right after waking. You may try to move your arms and legs without success. Also, you may be unable to speak briefly. This condition is recognized as sleep paralysis.
4. Acknowledge strange things that you see or hear just before falling asleep. These things may represent hypnagogic hallucinations, which occasionally affect people with narcolepsy. Some of these visual and auditory hallucinations can be scary.
5. Think about your quality of sleep. People with narcolepsy often present with restless sleep.
6. Watch for periods of automatic behavior, which occur when you continue to perform tasks while sleeping. People who experience automatic behavior awaken unaware of the conversations they've had or tasks they've performed while sleeping.

Tips & Warnings

• Join online narcolepsy support groups (see Resources below).