Symptoms
The following are the most common symptoms of narcolepsy. However, individuals may experience symptoms differently.
Symptoms may include:
- Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) - an overwhelming desire to sleep at inappropriate times.
- Cataplexy - a sudden loss of muscle control ranging from slight weakness to total collapse.
- Sleep Paralysis - being unable to talk or move for about one minute when falling asleep or waking up.
- Hypnagogic Hallucinations - vivid and often scary dreams and sounds reported when falling asleep.
Secondary or auxiliary symptoms include:
- Automatic Behavior - performing routine tasks without conscious awareness of doing so, and often without memory of it.
- Disrupted Nighttime Sleep, including multiple arousals
Other difficulties that may be caused by primary symptoms may include side effects of medication, or result from one's continuing struggle to cope, including:
- feelings of intense fatigue and continual lack of energy
- depression
- difficulty in concentrating and memorizing
- vision (focusing) problems
- eating binges
- weak limbs
- difficulties in handling alcohol