Comment by exhypothesi

11 days ago

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.