What Causes Narcolepsy?

Research suggests that the cause of narcolepsy is a lack of the chemical in the brain called hypocretin. This chemical stimulates brain cells and helps promote wakefulness. It is not known why hypocretin is missing in people who have narcolepsy. Some factors that may work together to cause a lack of hypocretin include:

• Infection
• Loss of certain brain cells due to brain injury, toxins, and/or the body’s destruction of its own tissues (autoimmune reaction)
• Changes in hormones
• Stress

One out of 10 people with narcolepsy and cataplexy has a close relative with the same symptoms. This suggests that some people may inherit the tendency to develop narcolepsy.