Narcolepsy is a rare condition. However, if you’re having sleep attacks, it’s important to see a specialist.
Narcolepsy is very uncommon, with only 1 in 2,000 people being diagnosed with the condition. The most common sign of narcolepsy is sleep attacks during the day, also known as excessive daytime sleepiness. During these attacks, a person feels an excessive urge to fall asleep and may do so in the middle of an activity.
It’s also common to experience cataplexy, a sudden but temporary loss of muscle tone, which includes a partial or full body collapse. However, only people diagnosed with type 1 narcolepsy have symptoms of cataplexy.
If you think you have narcolepsy, it’s important you see a specialist who can administer an official narcolepsy test, which consists of polysomnography and the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT).
This quiz cannot diagnose you with narcolepsy, but it can be used as a tool to better understand your symptoms and guide your treatment decisions. Take the quiz to learn if you may have narcolepsy.