Idiopathic Hypersomnia vs. Narcolepsy: What’s the Difference?
These two sleep disorders – or, clinically speaking, central disorders of hypersomnolence (CDH) – look a lot alike. Hypersomnolence means sleeping too much. Both conditions make you feel very sleepy or tired during the day even after a full night’s sleep. The need to sleep can strike at any time and make it hard to work or drive, which can be dangerous.
But there are some subtle differences.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) May Help By:
- Easing your depression or anxiety
- Showing you how to organize your day to make the most of your time awake
- Helping you see IH as a medical condition, not personal failure
- Teaching you ways to recharge and stay alert
People with idiopathic hypersomnia may sleep a lot at night – often up to 12 or 14 hours – and still find it very hard to wake up in the mornings and after naps. You might wake up feeling confused and disoriented.
People with narcolepsy, on the other hand, typically sleep the usual 7 to 8 hours during the night, and often find that they wake up refreshed in the mornings and after brief naps. But they soon feel sleepy again.
Narcolepsy may also come with these other symptoms that idiopathic hypersomnia typically does not:
Sleep-related hallucinations: Visions as you’re falling asleep or waking up, often that someone is in the room with you
Sleep paralysis: Not being able to move as you’re falling asleep or waking up
Fragmented sleep: Waking in the night and being unable to get back to sleep. It can be insomnia, vivid dreams, acting out dreams, or sudden leg movements that wake you.
Memory problems: Not being able to remember things that happened or conversations you had because you were half-asleep. You can fall asleep while working, eating, driving, or talking.
Cataplexy: A sudden episode of muscle weakness where your muscles go limp while you’re awake like they do when you're asleep. This only happens in type 1 narcolepsy and usually in response to a strong emotion like surprise or happiness.
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