Child Health Information for Parents in Santa Barbara

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Teen Health

Teen Health

Our Health Library information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Please be advised that this information is made available to assist our patients to learn more about their health. Our providers may not see and/or treat all topics found herein.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that mixes the nervous system's messages about when to sleep and when to be awake. Narcolepsy usually starts during the teen years or early adulthood and continues throughout life.

Narcolepsy may cause:

  • Sudden sleep attacks. These may occur at any time during any type of activity, such as eating dinner, driving a car, or carrying on a conversation. These sleep attacks can occur several times a day and may last from a few minutes to several hours.
  • Sudden, brief periods of muscle weakness while a person is awake (cataplexy). The weakness may affect specific muscle groups or may affect the entire body. These periods of muscle weakness are often brought on by strong emotional reactions, such as laughing or crying.
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness.
  • Hallucinations before falling asleep.
  • Brief loss of the ability to move when a person is falling asleep or just waking up (sleep paralysis).

Medicines may help prevent sleep attacks and episodes of muscle weakness. But narcolepsy rarely goes away completely.

Current as of: July 31, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

 

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