24-HOUR RECORDING IN REM-NARCOLEPTICS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NOCTURNAL SLEEP DISRUPTION

Abstract

Narcoleptic patients (20) and age-matched normals (10) were polygraphically monitored for 58 consecutive hours. All subjects were on regimented sleep (between 10:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.). Group A (11 patients and 10 normals) had enforced wakefulness during the day whereas group B (9 patients) were permitted to sleep (mean, 2 1/2 h). On day 2, all subjects were permitted to sleep for 15 min periods every 2 h. In narcoleptics, sleep recordings demonstrated a reduction of sleep latency, an increase of stage 1, a decrease in stages 3 and 4 compared to normals, but total REM [rapid eye movement] time and percentage of REM sleep were similar. Groups A and B showed no difference in the incidence of nocturnal awakenings.