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Comorbid sleep disorders
Is it possible to have both narcolepsy and insomnia?
My doctor said my complaints are highly suggestive of narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness, occasional episodes of hypnopompic hallucinations upon waking, short term memory lapses, etc). But I also have symptoms of insomnia: I tend to take a very long time to fall asleep, wake often during the night (sometimes sweating a lot), sometimes barely sleep at all and don't feel as sleepy as I do during the day, and during a recent sleep study the sleep tech came in to check on me because my heart rate was so high, and I think this is common for me.
My doctor said my complaints are highly suggestive of narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness, occasional episodes of hypnopompic hallucinations upon waking, short term memory lapses, etc). But I also have symptoms of insomnia: I tend to take a very long time to fall asleep, wake often during the night (sometimes sweating a lot), sometimes barely sleep at all and don't feel as sleepy as I do during the day, and during a recent sleep study the sleep tech came in to check on me because my heart rate was so high, and I think this is common for me.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Yes, narcolepsy can result in disturbed nighttime sleep. Narcolepsy can only be diagnosed with a multiple sleep latency test during the day (usually preceded by an all night sleep study).
Dr. Jacobs
Dr. Jacobs
Thank you for the response! I don't have the results of my polysomnogram yet so I don't know if my doctor will feel an MSLT is necessary. Right now I think she's leaning toward a diagnosis of idiopathic hypersomnia, but is that a real diagnosis or just a label to explain unexplainable symptoms? I don't want to have to take a stimulant for the rest of my life; the thought of doing so makes me nervous.
In your experience, would even mild narcolepsy result in excessive daytime sleepiness but only occassional sleep attacks? If I do not take Adderall I could nap at any point during the day, but sometimes I am just excessively tired and will lie down but I won't fall asleep, or at least not within 10 minutes.
Does narcolepsy exist in a very mild form? Before Adderall I had occassional experiences where I would hear the tea kettle whistling but have absolutely no memory of putting it on, or tasting toothpaste with no memory of brushing my teeth. I never connected this to narcolepsy, but now I suppose it could be. However, since I've been taking either Adderall or Provigil for over a year and have not had experiences like that while on these medications. I do experience sleep paralysis-like occurrences upon waking from a dream every so often, but not frequently, maybe once every few months.
In your experience, would even mild narcolepsy result in excessive daytime sleepiness but only occassional sleep attacks? If I do not take Adderall I could nap at any point during the day, but sometimes I am just excessively tired and will lie down but I won't fall asleep, or at least not within 10 minutes.
Does narcolepsy exist in a very mild form? Before Adderall I had occassional experiences where I would hear the tea kettle whistling but have absolutely no memory of putting it on, or tasting toothpaste with no memory of brushing my teeth. I never connected this to narcolepsy, but now I suppose it could be. However, since I've been taking either Adderall or Provigil for over a year and have not had experiences like that while on these medications. I do experience sleep paralysis-like occurrences upon waking from a dream every so often, but not frequently, maybe once every few months.
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