Many people may think they understand narcolepsy through its depictions on television, in movies, and in pop culture. Entertainment media has a history of sensationalizing narcolepsy in a way that may diminish its perceived severity and fosters misconceptions about the rare disorder. In reality, narcolepsy is a very serious disorder, impacting up to 200,000 Americans.[i]
People living with narcolepsy have excessive daytime sleepiness, the inability to stay awake and alert during the day, and about two-thirds have cataplexy, a sudden and brief loss of muscle strength or tone brought on by emotions or situations.[ii],[iii] Many people living with narcolepsy also deal with depression and anxiety.[iv] Narcolepsy symptoms can be a daily struggle and may keep those impacted from reaching their full potential at work, school and in their everyday lives.[v],[vi]
According to the Know Narcolepsy™ Burden of Illness Survey, a new survey conducted by Versta Research on behalf of Harmony Biosciences, LLC, and in partnership with Narcolepsy Network, four out of five people living with narcolepsy said living with the disorder is a daily struggle.[vii] The three-part Burden of Illness Survey, which captured the perspectives of 200 U.S. adults living with narcolepsy, 250 U.S. healthcare professionals and more than 1,200 U.S. adults from the general population, also revealed new details on how often this disorder may be misunderstood
