Choose Location

We provide care in three easily-accessible locations across the Rio Grande Valley.

Weslaco

1604 East 8th St., Suite A
Weslaco, TX
Phone: (956) 447-5557

McAllen

5300 North McColl Rd., Suite 100
McAllen, TX
Phone: (956) 630-1000

Mission

1022 E. Griffin Pkwy.
Mission, TX 78572
Phone: (956) 833-6000

Sleep

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a complex sleep disorder that involves a stage of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) entering the patient’s period of wakefulness. Characterized by a brief and sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy), excessive daytime sleepiness, and irresistible urges to sleep throughout the day, narcolepsy significantly interferes with a patient’s ability to complete the activities of daily life.

Episodes of sleep paralysis and/or hallucinations upon falling asleep or awakening from sleep are considered auxiliary symptoms of narcolepsy and can be part of the presenting symptoms. Complaints of difficulty maintaining sleep are also often part of patients’ complaints. Sleepiness is most likely to occur in monotonous situations that require no active participation, such as watching television or riding as a passenger in a car.

Physical activity can temporarily suppress the urge to sleep. Even when seemingly awake, many narcoleptics manifest lapses in vigilance, sometimes in combination with automatic behavior such as writing gibberish or interrupting a conversation with a completely different topic.

Cataplexy is most often triggered by sudden changes in sensory and/or emotional activation, as during a surprising change in sensory stimulation and/or upon laughter.

How Do You Know If You Have Narcolepsy?

In addition to going over your sleep history and records, your doctor will likely order two tests to confirm a diagnosis of narcolepsy. The first is an overnight sleep study called polysomnography. During this sleep study, our Sleep Specialists will monitor and record certain aspects of your rest. This test can show if you have narcolepsy while also revealing or ruling out other sleep disorders.

In addition, you may undergo a multiple sleep latency test. This evaluation consists of measuring how long it takes you to fall asleep at certain points throughout the day. Consisting of 4 or 5 naps, this test reveals whether you experience the ability to rapidly fall asleep, and the REM activity during those naps, that defines narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy Treatment

Narcolepsy can be difficult for patients to manage. Fortunately, treatments exist for Type I Narcolepsy, as well as for Type II Narcolepsy, the latter type manifesting excessive sleepiness but not loss of muscle tone.

From our McAllen and Weslaco sleep clinic sites, our Sleep Specialist staff will provide a specific program of action generally consisting of medication and behavioral treatments to help you gain better control over your excessive sleepiness and/or your sleep attacks/cataplexy episodes. The treatments will help you to sleep better at night and to stay awake during the day, enabling better function in all of your day-to-day situations and environments.

Resources

You may find additional helpful health information at one of these websites: