People may fight to stay awake and alert throughout the day or fall asleep without warning.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Cataplexy
Narcolepsy
Living With Narcolepsy
The two most common symptoms of narcolepsy are excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and cataplexy
You are not alone
Everyone
with narcolepsy has EDS, the inability to stay awake and alert during the day or a persistent feeling of tiredness
Nearly 2 out of 3
people with narcolepsy may also have cataplexy, the sudden onset of weak or paralyzed muscles, usually brought on by strong emotions or certain situations
Approximately 170,000
people in the United States are living with narcolepsy
Symptoms of narcolepsy typically begin in childhood. Most people begin having symptoms of narcolepsy at 6 years of age or older.
Types of narcolepsy
There are two types of narcolepsy: narcolepsy type 1 and narcolepsy type 2.
Narcolepsy with cataplexy is sometimes called narcolepsy
Narcolepsy without cataplexy is sometimes called narcolepsy
People may experience excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and cataplexy in different ways
EDS
What can EDS feel like?
People living with narcolepsy may experience their EDS in different ways, like:
Fighting to stay awake
Feeling sleepy soon after waking upSome people may wake up feeling somewhat refreshed but feel sleepy again in a few hours.
Feeling sleepy in less active situationsPeople may feel especially sleepy in situations that require no active participation, such as watching TV or riding in a car.
Children with narcolepsy, may experience EDS as poor school performance, hyperactivity, or trouble paying attention, which could be different from EDS in adults.
Download a questionnaire for adults living with narcolepsy to assess EDS so you can talk with your healthcare provider about how your symptoms may be affecting you. Assess your EDS
Cataplexy
What can cataplexy feel like?
Cataplexy can cause people with narcolepsy to collapse completely but more often occurs in specific areas of the body, like:
Knees buckling
Hand weakness(dropping objects)
Jaw sagging
People may experience cataplexy in different ways, like:
- Muscle weakness or heaviness
- Going slack-jawed
- "Spells" of muscle weakness
- Losing muscle control
- Slurred speech
- Clumsiness
- Drooping of the head, face, or eyelids
- Loss of grip or dropping things
Download a questionnaire for adults to help you understand if you could be experiencing cataplexy and talk with your healthcare provider about your experiences and how they may be affecting you.Understand your cataplexy
Narcolepsy shouldn’t stop
people from living their life
