Rare Sleep Disorders

About Idiopathic Hypersomnia

Idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a rare sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness.

People living with IH experience daytime lapses into sleep, or an irrepressible need to sleep that persists even with adequate or prolonged nighttime sleep. Additionally, those with IH have extreme difficulty waking, otherwise known as “sleep inertia,” severe “brain fog,” and often fall asleep unintentionally or at inappropriate times. These symptoms of IH often lead to further, even more debilitating problems such as memory lapses, difficulty maintaining focus, and depression.

About Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic debilitating central disorder of hypersomnolence. The primary symptom of narcolepsy is excessive daytime sleepiness characterized by daily episodes of an irrepressible need to sleep or daytime lapses into sleep.

People living with narcolepsy have an abnormal rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase which can cause disrupted nighttime sleep, sleep paralysis and sleep-related hallucinations during sleep-wake transitions. Narcolepsy has severe personal, social, and economic consequences. Patients with narcolepsy experience substantial impairment of their mental and physical wellbeing, and depression and anxiety are common. Cognitive dysfunctions, such as difficulty to focus and memory lapses (also referred to as ‘brain fog’), are frequently reported. The many symptoms experienced by patients with narcolepsy result in a high disease burden and poor quality of life.