Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a long-term (chronic sleep) disorder that disrupts a normal sleeping pattern. Symptoms of narcolepsy can be mild or severe and include:

• falling asleep suddenly, without warning (known as ‘sleep attacks’)
• excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
• temporary muscle weakness when responding to emotions such as laughter and anger (cataplexy)

How common is narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a relatively rare condition. However, the exact number of people who are affected by narcolepsy is unknown because the condition often goes unreported or it is not diagnosed correctly.

It is estimated that narcolepsy affects 1 in 2,000 people worldwide, which is the equivalent of 25,000 people in the UK. It is also estimated that around 80% of people with the condition are undiagnosed.

Narcolepsy affects men and women equally. The condition usually begins during adolescence (the teenage years), although it can sometimes start earlier. Cases of narcolepsy that have started later (during middle age) have also been reported.

Outlook

There is currently no cure for narcolepsy. However, if you have narcolepsy, there are a number of treatments that can help you to manage your symptoms and minimise the impact that the condition has on your daily life.

Narcolepsy does not usually cause any long-term physical health problems, but it can affect a person’s personal and professional life significantly.

If you have narcolepsy, you must stop driving immediately. It is your legal obligation to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about a medical condition that might have an impact on your driving ability. The Directgov website provides information about how to tell the DVLA about a medical condition.

Glossary

Chronic

Chronic usually means a condition that continues for a long time or keeps coming back.

Hallucinations

Hallucinations are a sensory experience in which a person sees, hears or feels something or someone that's not there.