Comment by kypro
19 days ago
I've wondered if I've had some mild form of narcolepsy for a while now because I often get hit with a strong and sudden urge to sleep and will fall into a deep sleep rapidly if I'm sitting down. I don't remember this happening when I was younger, but it started happening more and more often in my 20s to the point I'd normally have at least one 20-30 min nap a day.
The author also describes dreaming while awake, and specifically just before sleep. Surely this is something that happens to everyone, no? My mind goes crazy when I'm about to fall asleep, and that's how I normally know I'm going to be asleep in the next minute or two. Typically I'll start thinking about strange interconnected things and people, objects and voices will randomly appear in my consciousness. Is this honestly not normal? Isn't that just what happens when you drift off to sleep?
Yes, what you describe, the hypnogogic state, is something that almost everyone experiences to varying degrees and frequencies:
> "Although experiencing a hallucination might prompt confusion or fear, hypnagogic hallucinations are relatively common. Hypnagogic hallucinations are a common symptom of narcolepsy, but can also occur in people who do not have narcolepsy. In fact, one study found that 37% of people report experiencing hallucinations as they fall asleep."
Source: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/hypnagogic-h...
Their association with narcolepsy is one of several features, and it occurs more frequently and often during daytime naps in patients with narcolepsy:
> Hypnagogic states are not only an associated feature of narcolepsy, but they also are favourable for a diagnosis. Accordingly, the prevalence of hypnagogic states was higher in patients with narcolepsy than controls (Bosch et al., 2012; Fortuyn et al., 2009). Moreover, patients with narcolepsy are also more prone to experience daytime hypnagogia (Fortuyn et al., 2009), most likely due to excessive daytime sleepiness.
Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10078162/
Surely the commonly referenced "food coma" affects more than just narcoleptics.
I imagine narcolepsy is only diagnosable when it causes major issues in your life.
In the same way that being "a bit obsessive" isn't OCD unless it materially affects your quality of life.