#26 - Narcolepsy: The Rare Sleep Disorder That Isn't

Given that approximately 1 in 2000 people in the United States has narcolepsy, and their symptoms are so dramatic, there is  a good chance you know someone with this disorder. Narcolepsy is fundamentally a debilitating, lifelong disorder of excessive sleepiness and sleep dysregulation. In this episode, we will:

• define narcolepsy and learn how it presents in individuals
• trace the pathophysiology of the chemical disorder related to orexin/hypocretin dysfunction
• list the 5 main diagnostic characteristics of the disorder
• differentiate the causes (hereditary, autoimmune) of narcolepsy
• outline the diagnostic pathway and the pitfalls of narcolepsy testing
• learn how diagnostic momentum applies to the diagnosis of narcolepsy
• briefly touch upon treatments (but will largely leave this for a future episode)

Produced by: Maeve Winter

More

• Twitter: @drchriswinter
• IG: @drchriwinter
• Threads: @drchriswinter
• Bluesky: @drchriswinter
• The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child

Thanks for listening and sleep well!