Swiss Narcolepsy Scale

The Swiss Narcolepsy Scale (SNS) is a brief subjective questionnaire that screens for the occurrence of several behavioral symptoms that may be associated with narcolepsy with cataplexy.1

AASM provides quality measures for managing patients with narcolepsy2 Discover these approaches 

AASM, American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Features of the SNS

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Purpose:

Designed to screen for a symptom profile that might be suggestive of narcolepsy with cataplexy1

Population:

Patients with excessive daytime sleepiness whom the clinician may want to screen for potential narcolepsy with cataplexy3

Assessments:

Measures frequency of 5 potential symptoms1:

Q1 - Inability to fall asleep

Q2 - Feeling bad or not well rested in the morning

Q3 - Taking a nap during the day

Q4 - Weak knees/buckling of the knees during emotions such as laughing, happiness, or anger

Q5 - Sagging of the jaw during emotions such as laughing, happiness, or anger

Method:

Patient self-report1

Time required:

Consists of 5 questions and takes only a few minutes to complete1

Scoring:

Frequency for each behavioral complaint is rated on a 5-point scale, from 1, indicating “never,” to 5, indicating “almost always.” Each question is weighted by a positive or negative factor, with the score calculated using the following equation: (6×Q1 + 9×Q2 – 5×Q3– 11×Q4 – 13×Q5 + 20).1,3

Interpretation:

An SNS score <0 is suggestive of narcolepsy with cataplexy.1,3

Validation:

In 1 study of patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy, an SNS score <0 was shown to have a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 98%.3

A narcolepsy diagnosis should be established by a sleep specialist using a clinical interview and a nighttime polysomnogram (PSG) followed by a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) performed under standardized conditions.4

The Swiss Narcolepsy Scale is copyrighted and reproduced with permission of the authors. Unauthorized copying, printing or distribution is strictly prohibited.

  1. Bassetti CL. Spectrum of narcolepsy. In: Baumann CR, Bassetti CL, Scammell TE, eds. Narcolepsy: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Springer Science+Business Media; 2011:309-319.
  2. Krahn LE, Hershner S, Loeding LD, et al. Quality measures for the care of patients with narcolepsy. J Clin Sleep Med. 2015;11(3):335-355.
  3. Sturzenegger C, Bassetti CL. The clinical spectrum of narcolepsy with cataplexy: a reappraisal. J Sleep Res. 2004;13(4):395-406.
  4. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Central disorders of hypersomnolence. In: The International Classification of Sleep Disorders – Third Edition (ICSD-3) Online Version. Darien, IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine; 2014.