Narcolepsy is a disorder of unknown origin that interferes with nighttime sleep and daytime alertness.

    Narcolepsy affects all sexes and races.  It is usually diagnosed in the second generation of life, although children as young as eight years old have been identified with narcolepsy and some individuals are not diagnosed until they are over fifty years of age.  Narcolepsy occurs in one out of every 1,000 - 2,000 individuals, although some experts feel it is far more common in milder stages.  Narcolepsy is not related to nor does it lead to development of any mental disorder, although narcoleptic patients may have a slightly greater incidence of depression which may occur primarily as the result of poor school or social function due to daytime sleepiness.

    Specifically narcolepsy occurs when the sleep and wake cycles interfere with each other.  For example, most patients with narcolepsy have frequent nocturnal awakenings which result in daytime sleepiness.  Additionally, their daytime sleep is often interrupted by episodes in which part of the brain enters the sleep phase without warning and results in many of the classic symptoms that narcolepsy patients exhibit.  Typically, narcolepsy patients exhibit four classical symptoms: Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Cataplexy, Sleep Paralysis, and Hypnogogic Hallucinations.

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