Instead, their doctor might recommend that they let trusted family, friends, and coworkers know about the episodes. For instance, people who have mild cataplexy episodes once or twice a year might not need a formal treatment plan. Treatment for cataplexy depends on how often your episodes happen and how severe they are. On-the-road driving performance of patients with central disorders of hypersomnolence.How is cataplexy without narcolepsy treated? Therapeutic strategies for mitigating driving risk in patients with narcolepsy. Living with narcolepsy: Current management strategies, future prospects, and overlooked real-life concerns. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. We link primary sources - including studies, scientific references, and statistics - within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. Sleep paralysis can be distinguished from cataplexy because sleep paralysis occurs upon awakening or falling asleep, whereas positive emotions trigger cataplexy.Įpisodes of sleep paralysis can be frightening because the immobility may be accompanied by visual hallucinations or a sensation of suffocation. Sleep paralysis is the temporary inability to move or speak while waking up or falling asleep. having slow reaction times when they need to steer or brake suddenly.not being able to pay proper attention to the road.having an impaired ability to make good decisions.Drowsy drivingĭrowsy driving is a major concern for people with narcolepsy, who usually experience excessive daytime sleepiness.ĭrowsy driving refers to the combination of driving and sleepiness or fatigue, which can result in a person: Anger or grief can also trigger these episodes in some individuals. Most episodes are triggered by strong, generally positive emotions, such as laughter, joking, or excitement. Not all people with narcolepsy experience cataplexy.Ĭataplexy is emotionally triggered transient muscle weakness. CataplexyĬataplexy also raises the risk of accidents while driving. Some sources suggest that over half of people with the condition have fallen asleep while driving and that more than 1 in 3 people with the condition have had an accident. These episodes can last for seconds or minutes, which makes driving especially dangerous. Sleep attacks occur when a person falls asleep suddenly and without warning, often in people with narcolepsy. The sections below look at each of these risks in more detail. This is due to the excessive daytime sleepiness, the onset of sleep attacks, cataplexy, and sleep paralysis. People with narcolepsy are at higher risk of experiencing sleep-related accidents while driving than the rest of the population. An MWT is the most common evaluation to determine a person’s level of alertness, though experts advise caution in applying MWT as a predictive measure for driving risk. There are currently no established guidelines for determining how appropriate driving is for a person with narcolepsy. A doctor may order a maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT) to ascertain how well a person is able to remain awake during activities such as driving. Some people with severe narcolepsy may not be able to drive at all. Most states do not list narcolepsy as a reason to revoke a person’s license, though some do name it as a condition that may affect the ability to drive. Some states also allow for family members or professionals to submit concerns to the Department of Motor Vehicles. In the United States, most states employ a voluntary procedure for people to determine their medical ability to drive. However, the condition raises the risk of impaired driving, and studies consistently show decreased driving performance among people with the condition. Many people with narcolepsy are able to drive, technically and legally. Share on Pinterest DuKai photographer/Getty Images
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