Can someone have narcolepsy and sleep apnea at the same time?

Can someone have narcolepsy and sleep apnea at the same time?

Can You Have Both? It’s possible to have both narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea. About one quarter of people who have narcolepsy also have some other sleep condition. Usually, it’s OSA.

Can narcolepsy be misdiagnosed as sleep apnea?

One of the most common symptoms of OSA is excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), which is why OSA often is confused with narcolepsy. Daytime sleepiness may be subtle or very pronounced and is a consequence of sleep fragmentation during the night.

How do you test positive for narcolepsy?

The diagnosis of narcolepsy is usually supported by test results from a polysomnogram and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). A polysomnogram helps your physician assess brain activity during sleep, in particular, how frequently and when REM activity is occurring.

Is narcolepsy worse at night?

Fragmented sleep and insomnia. While individuals with narcolepsy are very sleepy during the day, they usually also experience difficulties staying asleep at night.

What is a similarity between sleep apnea and narcolepsy?

The only similarity between sleep apnea and narcolepsy is that both are chronic sleep disorders that affect how well a person sleeps. Both sleep apnea and narcolepsy have symptoms that cause a lack of ability to feel well-rested and the effects of both can seep into everyday lives.

Is sleep apnea a narcolepsy?

Sleep apnea and narcolepsy are very different conditions. The only similarity is that they are chronic sleep disorders. While narcolepsy affects how well someone can control their sleep patterns, sleep apnea occurs when there are repeated pauses in breathing during sleep.

What is narcolepsy often misdiagnosed as?

In a physician survey and retrospective chart review study of 252 patients with narcolepsy, 60% of patients had initially received a misdiagnosis of another disorder. The most common misdiagnoses included depression (~31%), insomnia (~18%), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (~13%).

Does narcolepsy show up in blood work?

You may also have a blood test to find out whether you have a genetic marker known as HLA DQB * 0602, which is associated with narcolepsy. A positive result supports a diagnosis, but does not make it 100% certain – 30% of people without narcolepsy also have the genetic marker.

Does caffeine help narcolepsy?

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a small dose of caffeine has positive effects on alertness in patients with narcolepsy. However, larger trials are required to confirm these findings.

What is the connection between sleep apnea and narcolepsy?

Causes of Narcolepsy. The difference between narcolepsy and sleep apnea consists in the causes that trigger this disorder. The main cause of narcolepsy is the brain inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally, inducing excessive daytime sleepiness and often disturbed nocturnal sleep.

Is there a connection between narcolepsy and sleep apnea?

Yes, narcolepsy and sleep apnea can occur together at the same time. There are many cases reported that have both of these sleep disorders. The difference between narcolepsy and sleep apnea is that there is no sudden loss of muscle tone in sleep apnea (cataplexy) as in narcolepsy.

Can you suddenly develop narcolepsy?

People who suffer from narcolepsy have mixed signals sent from their brain about when to sleep, which is why narcoleptics fall asleep at inopportune times. One may develop narcolepsy at any time, although onset of the first symptom usually occurs after puberty, in late teens to young adulthood.

Do people with sleep apnea always snore at night?

The effect is almost like a vacuum, and so people with nasal and sinus problems are frequent snorers. People with obstructive sleep apnea are also notorious for being snorers. Interestingly enough, people who have sleep apnea almost always snore. Jun 13 2019

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