Narcolepsy Specialists
Serving Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland
Sleep problems deserve medical expertise. At the Center for Sleep & Wake Disorders, our board-certified sleep medicine physicians comprehensively diagnose your sleep issues using the latest tools in sleep science and technology. We have clinics in both Chevy Chase, MD and Bowie, MD.
Our in-lab sleep studies use medically-grade monitoring equipment and trained sleep technologists to observe and record every aspect of your sleep. This allows us to identify the exact cause of your symptoms and design a treatment plan backed by evidence, not guesswork.
Do You Have Narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder in which the brain loses its ability to regulate the sleep-wake cycle normally. The result is daytime tiredness and the breakdown of the boundary between sleep and wakefulness, regardless of how much sleep you got the night before.
The most recognized symptom is sudden, uncontrollable sleep attacks during the day, but narcolepsy often presents with symptoms patients don’t connect to a sleep disorder at all:
If you experience several of these symptoms consistently, a narcolepsy evaluation is warranted. Many patients who come to us have been living with unexplained exhaustion or dismissed as lazy or depressed for years before receiving an accurate diagnosis. Narcolepsy is a neurological condition, and it responds well to proper treatment.
Diagnosing Narcolepsy
A confirmed narcolepsy diagnosis requires specialized sleep testing that goes beyond a standard sleep study. Our sleep medicine physicians will evaluate your symptoms, medical history, and sleep patterns before recommending the appropriate diagnostic path.
Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)
The MSLT is the definitive test for narcolepsy. Conducted the morning after your overnight PSG, it measures how quickly you fall asleep across five scheduled nap opportunities and whether you enter REM sleep abnormally fast. A mean sleep latency of eight minutes or less, combined with REM sleep appearing in two or more naps, is the diagnostic marker for narcolepsy. No at-home test can replicate this — narcolepsy diagnosis requires an in-lab study.
In-Lab Sleep Study (Polysomnogram)
The diagnostic process typically begins with an overnight polysomnography (PSG) at our AASM-accredited sleep labs in Chevy Chase or Bowie. This rules out other sleep disorders — particularly sleep apnea, which can mimic narcolepsy symptoms — and documents the fragmented nighttime sleep patterns common in narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy Treatment Options
Narcolepsy is considered a lifelong condition, but symptoms are manageable. The right approach depends on which symptoms are most disruptive and how they affect daily functioning. Our sleep physicians work through the options with you to build a plan that controls symptoms without compromising quality of life.
Why Choose the Center for Sleep & Wake Disorders?
