via BlackDoctor:
According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, everyone with narcolepsy has some sort of daytime sleepiness symptoms. However, it’s the severity and variation of sleepiness that you have to pay attention to. In many, it is so intense that people frequently and unintentionally doze off while sitting in a class, riding in a car, or watching a movie.
This intense and persistent sleepiness often leads to inattentiveness and drowsiness. Sometimes, people with narcolepsy can have “automatic behavior” in which they continue an activity, such as driving or taking notes in class, with little to no conscious awareness.
So, how can you tell if you have the sleep disorder? Sleep experts attribute symptoms of narcolepsy to a lack of hypocretins, key brain chemicals that help sustain alertness and prevent REM sleep from occurring at the wrong times, and poorly regulated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
Check out 4 warning signs for the sleep disorder, narcolepsy:
Cataplexy
About half of all people with narcolepsy have cataplexy. This is sudden, temporary episodes of muscle weakness that can be triggered by intense emotions. These may include excitement, laughter, anger,
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