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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
Is narcoplepsy hereditary?
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My father experienced it - does that mean I am likely to develop it? -
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Dr Peter Solin
Respiratory & Sleep Medicine Physician
Dr Peter Solin is a highly trained authority in sleep disorders medicine and respiratory medicine, having graduated from Melbourne University in 1987 and undertaken specialist … View Profile
Narcolepsy is hereditary. It does run in families. There is one major area on one of the genes which seems to be responsible, but further research is being undertaken to see if this one location will explain all cases.
As there are some forms of overwhelming tiredness and sleepiness, without a clear explanation, similar to but not typical of narcolepsy, it is likely that other genetic locations will be found in time.
However the large majority of people diagnosed with narcolepsy don't have a family history, which means that the genetic abnormality is a spontaneous mutation. It also means that if you're diagnosed with narcolepsy, more likely than not you will not be able to find narcolepsy in your lineage.
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The Sleep Health Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of ‘valuing sleep’ as part of a healthy lifestyle alongside regular exercise, a … View Profile
For more information on Narcolepsy click here.
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