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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What is difference between narcolepsy and cataplexy?

    Related Topics
    Narcolepsy Sleep Medicine
    • 2 answers
    • Dr David Cunnington
    • Sleep Health Foundation
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    Dr David Cunnington

    Respiratory & Sleep Medicine Physician

    Specialist sleep physician delivering a high standard of clinical care to clients with complex sleep problems and promoting sleep health through research, education and advocacy. … View Profile

    Narcolepsy is a disorder characterized by symptoms of sleepiness, together with features of blurring of the boundary between wake and sleep. These manifest as dream imagery on waking or drifting off to sleep, waking with a transient feeling of paralysis, and sudden loss of muscle tone often triggered by strong positive emotions. This loss of muscle tone is called cataplexy and it is one of the symptoms of narcolepsy. Cataplexy can be triggered by strong, usually positive, emotion and also becomes more frequent if people are more tired or sleepy. 

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  • Sleep Health Foundation

    The Sleep Health Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of ‘valuing sleep’ as part of a healthy lifestyle alongside regular exercise, a … View Profile

    Check out the fact sheet on the Sleep Health Foundation website here for more information.
     

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