Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness and frequent daytime sleep attacks.
Alternative Names
Daytime sleep disorder; Cataplexy
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Narcolepsy is a nervous system disorder, not a mental illness. Anxiety does not cause narcolepsy.
Experts believe that narcolepsy is caused by reduced amounts of a protein called hypocretin, which is made in the brain. What causes the brain to produce less of this protein is unclear.
Narcolepsy tends to run in families.
Conditions that cause
