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<div class="section1">If a person experiences both excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy, a diagnosis may be made on the patient history alone. Laboratory tests, however, can confirm a diagnosis. These may include an overnight polysomnogram—a test in which sleep is monitored with electrocardiography, video, and respiratory parameters. A Multiple Sleep Latency Test, which measures sleep latency (onset) and how quickly REM sleep occurs, may be used. People who have narcolepsy usually fall asleep in less than five minutes.
If a diagnosis is in question, a genetic blood test can reveal the existence of certain substances in people who have a tendency to develop narcolepsy. Positive test results suggest, but do not prove, the existence of narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is a complex disorder, and it is often misdiagnosed. It takes 14 years, on average, for an individual to be correctly diagnosed.
Source: The Gale Group. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed.";
