“I needed to educate myself if I wanted to speak up about my disorder”– Andre

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Narcolepsy Resources

Do you or does someone you know have narcolepsy?

Access to credible information can help improve understanding of narcolepsy symptoms and their impact. These resources can help you find a support group or learn more about living with a rare disorder.

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Talking to Your Friends and Family About Narcolepsy

Andre
Living with narcolepsy

A narcolepsy diagnosis can impact the whole family. Hear Andre describe how he sat down with the people in his life and began a journey of education and understanding.

A narcolepsy diagnosis can impact the whole family. Hear Andre describe how he sat down with the people in his life and began a journey of education and understanding.

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Vivid dream-like experiences that occur while falling asleep or while waking up.

Occurs at night and includes dreams; muscles are not active to prevent people from acting out dreams.

People with type 1 narcolepsy can be diagnosed by their cataplexy or low levels of hypocretin (also known as orexin).

The cause of type 2 narcolepsy is unknown.

Restorative sleep state with decreased muscle tone.

Daytime and evening habits to improve sleep.

Brief total loss of voluntary muscle control when falling asleep or while waking up.

Also known as orexin, hypocretin is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain that helps maintain wakefulness and prevent non-REM sleep and REM sleep from occurring at the wrong time.

Unintentionally falling asleep due to excessive daytime sleepiness; “sleep attacks.”

The inability to stay awake and alert during the day; a constant need for sleep or unintentionally falling asleep.

A naturally occurring chemical in the brain that helps maintain wakefulness.

Vivid dream-like experiences that occur while falling asleep or while waking up.

Frequent shifts between different states of sleep and wakefulness at night.

Difficulty focusing or concentrating.

Brief loss of muscle tone with retained awareness, often triggered by strong emotions.

Performance of routine tasks without awareness or memory.