Which statement describes narcolepsy?

• A. Recurrent attacks of drowsiness and sleep during daytime
• B. Chronic headaches only
• C. Sleepwalking during deep sleep
• D. Insomnia at night only

Answer: (A)

Narcolepsy is a sleep-wake disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks. The statement describing recurrent attacks of drowsiness and sleep during daytime directly captures this hallmark feature, making it the best description. In narcolepsy, sleep regulation is disrupted, so people can fall asleep unexpectedly during the day, which is not just a nighttime issue. Additional symptoms like cataplexy or sleep-related phenomena can occur, but the defining sign is the daytime sleepiness with abrupt sleep episodes.

The other statements point to different problems: chronic headaches alone aren’t the defining feature of narcolepsy; sleepwalking happens during deep sleep (somnambulism) and is not what narcolepsy primarily involves; insomnia at night only refers to difficulty with nighttime sleep, which lacks the characteristic daytime sleep attacks that define narcolepsy.