The hallmark of the condition is excessive sleepiness, which does not relate to the amount of sleep a person gets. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder in which the brain does not regulate sleep-wake cycles as it should. hypothyroidism, which is an underactive thyroid.attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Some health conditions to rule out include: This helps ensure that a person receives the correct treatment. A person who presents with narcolepsy symptoms will require narcolepsy testing to help with the differential diagnosis. avoiding the negative effects of narcolepsy on emotional health, education, career, and social lifeĪ differential diagnosis is a method of distinguishing a particular condition from other conditions with similar symptoms.requesting reasonable accommodations from an employer.getting treatment and counseling to help manage the condition.However, many more people may be living with narcolepsy without knowing it.Īlthough there is no cure for narcolepsy, it is important that those experiencing symptoms receive a test for the condition. Narcolepsy is relatively rare, affecting an estimated 135,000–200,000 people in the United States.
Why should someone have a narcolepsy test? However, a low level of hypocretin-1 is a very strong indicator of narcolepsy. This is a rather invasive test that requires a lumbar puncture. In some cases, a doctor will recommend testing the levels of hypocretin-1. People with narcolepsy often have low levels of the neuropeptide hypocretin-1, which affects sleep-wake cycles. For the MSLT, a person takes five short naps with 2-hour intervals, and a researcher measures how long it takes for the person to fall asleep and enter REM sleep.Ī person may have narcolepsy if their average time to fall asleep is under 8 minutes, and they enter into REM sleep within 15 minutes on at least two occasions. The MSLT takes place in a sleep lab the day after the PSG test. Some physiological factors that the PSG measures include: REM is the deepest stage of sleep, and entering it too early in the sleep cycle can be a sign of narcolepsy. The test measures different physiological factors to assess how quickly the person falls asleep and how soon they enter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Polysomnography (PSG)Ī PSG is a sleep study that requires an overnight stay in a sleep lab.
If the questionnaire highlights an elevated level of sleepiness during waking hours, a person may go on to see a sleep specialist. The ESS is a questionnaire that requires a person to rate on a scale of 0–3 their likelihood of falling asleep while engaging in eight simple activities, which include reading and sitting in traffic.
Murray Johns developed the ESS in 1990 to assess “daytime sleepiness” in his patients. Part of the reason for this is that the symptoms are varied and can develop due to other conditions.īefore conducting tests for narcolepsy, a doctor will conduct a thorough physical exam and take a person’s medical history.Ĭommon tests for narcolepsy include: Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS)ĭr.
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