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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Are The Symptoms Of Narcolepsy?

I am concerned one of my 8yr old students is presenting with narcolepsy. He is currently taking a stimulant for adhd. Parents reporting he sleeps very little at nite. I see sudden episodes of drouziness And difficulty just lifting eyelids lasting a few seconds. Any thoughts?
Mon, 26 Mar 2018
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,

Common narcolepsy symptoms include:

1. Cataplexy (loss of muscle control). Often, narcolepsy may cause you to have a sudden loss of muscle control while awake, usually triggered by strong emotions, such as laughing or crying.

2. Hallucinations. Some people with narcolepsy experience vivid, sometimes frightening, visual or auditory sensations while falling asleep or upon awakening.

3. Sleep paralysis. You may be unable to move or talk at the beginning or end of sleep.

4. Microsleep is a very brief sleep episode during which you continue to function (talk, put things away, etc.) and then awaken with no memory of the activities.

5. Nighttime wakefulness. If you suffer from narcolepsy, you may have periods of wakefulness at night with hot flashes, elevated heart rate, and sometimes intense alertness.

6. Rapid entry to REM sleep. Narcoleptics have unique sleep cycles where they may enter the REM or dream phase of sleep right after falling asleep, whereas most people take about 90 minutes to enter REM. Therefore, you'll experience the characteristics of REM sleep (vivid dreams and muscle paralysis) at the beginning of sleep, even if that sleep is during the day.


Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Sanjay Kini
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What Are The Symptoms Of Narcolepsy?

Hello, Common narcolepsy symptoms include: 1. Cataplexy (loss of muscle control). Often, narcolepsy may cause you to have a sudden loss of muscle control while awake, usually triggered by strong emotions, such as laughing or crying. 2. Hallucinations. Some people with narcolepsy experience vivid, sometimes frightening, visual or auditory sensations while falling asleep or upon awakening. 3. Sleep paralysis. You may be unable to move or talk at the beginning or end of sleep. 4. Microsleep is a very brief sleep episode during which you continue to function (talk, put things away, etc.) and then awaken with no memory of the activities. 5. Nighttime wakefulness. If you suffer from narcolepsy, you may have periods of wakefulness at night with hot flashes, elevated heart rate, and sometimes intense alertness. 6. Rapid entry to REM sleep. Narcoleptics have unique sleep cycles where they may enter the REM or dream phase of sleep right after falling asleep, whereas most people take about 90 minutes to enter REM. Therefore, you ll experience the characteristics of REM sleep (vivid dreams and muscle paralysis) at the beginning of sleep, even if that sleep is during the day. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Sanjay Kini