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[RC] Narcolepsy - Jutta

I am a Registered Polysomnography Tech and work in a Sleep Center. I can only tell you about narcolepsy in humans.
People with narcolepsy will instantly fall into REM sleep. During REM sleep you dream, and you loose muscle tone. This is mother nature's way of preventing you to act out your dreams. Because of the loss of muscle tone, people can collapse (cataplexy). In humans this condition is treated with stimulants like Provigil (drug of choice) or Ritalin.
It would be fun to study a horse, but I doubt they would let me bring it into the hospital, and it wouldn't fit into our beds anyway. HA HA!
Anyway, I am not sure about the normal sleep architecture of a horse. I would think that the horse has very little REM, since they sleep standing up. I am not sure if there is any research about the sleep of horses.
Also not sure if horses can be treated with medication. How did the vet arrive at this diagnosis? The only way to prove narcolepsy in humans is a sleep study.
Good luck,
Jutta