![]() Even when severe, cataplexy and sleep paralysis do not result in permanent dysfunction-after episodes end, people rapidly recover their full capacity to move and speak. As with cataplexy, people remain fully conscious. Sleep paralysis resembles cataplexy except it occurs at the edges of sleep. Sleep paralysis-The temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up usually lasts only a few seconds or minutes and is similar to REM-induced inhibitions of voluntary muscle activity.While scary, the episodes are not dangerous as long as the individual finds a safe place in which to collapse. ![]() Episodes last a few minutes at most and resolve almost instantly on their own. The loss of muscle tone during cataplexy resembles paralysis of muscle activity that naturally occurs during REM sleep. But even during the most severe episodes, people remain fully conscious, a characteristic that distinguishes cataplexy from fainting or seizure disorders. The most severe attacks result in a total body collapse during which individuals are unable to move, speak, or keep their eyes open. Attacks may be mild and involve only a momentary sense of minor weakness in a limited number of muscles, such as a slight drooping of the eyelids. In about 10 percent of cases of narcolepsy, cataplexy is the first symptom to appear and can be misdiagnosed as a seizure disorder. Some people may only have one or two attacks in a lifetime, while others may experience many attacks a day. The symptoms of cataplexy may appear weeks or even years after the onset of EDS. It is often triggered by sudden, strong emotions such as laughter, fear, anger, stress, or excitement.
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