Are you always tired, no matter how much sleep you’ve had?
Do you ever collapse after hearing a funny joke, or after becoming very angry? Do you have any relatives who are always sleepy? If you answer yes to these questions, you might have narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations (explained below). Narcolepsy is thought to be an attack of REM sleep during the day.
A person with narcolepsy will have recurring episodes of naps, or lapses into sleep. The narcoleptic will sleep for fifteen to twenty minutes and awaken refreshed, but within the next two to three hours will begin to feel sleepy again. This pattern repeats itself throughout the day. Sudden sleep attacks can occur in situations when it is quite inappropriate to sleep, such as while eating, conversing or driving.” (more…)
