Depression and narcolepsy are two different medical illnesses that have different effects on a person's health. Narcolepsy is a brain problem that causes people to be too sleepy during the day, lose their muscle tone all of a sudden (cataplexy), become paralyzed during sleep, and have hallucinations when they fall asleep or wake up. It's caused by not having enough of the neurotransmitter hypocretin.
Depression, on the other hand, is a mood disorder marked by heavy sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of pleasure or interest in daily tasks. Changes in appetite and sleep habits, tiredness, trouble focusing, and thoughts of hurting oneself may also be signs.
Both situations can make it hard to sleep and give you less energy, but they are caused by different things. Depression is a mood disorder that is largely caused by psychological and environmental factors, while narcolepsy is mainly a neurological disease.
