What Does Narcolepsy Look Like?

[MUSIC PLAYING] Narcolepsy is a nervous system disorder that involves your brain. You struggle to manage sleep patterns and stay awake. No matter how much rest you got the night before, an intense urge to sleep follows you throughout the day. Excessive daytime sleepiness can make you nod off in any situation. You may continue doing some tasks while you're briefly asleep, which is known as automatic behavior. Narcolepsy can also make your muscles suddenly weak, and cause you to lose control of them. This is cataplexy. Strong emotions like excitement, surprise, and anger can set it off. At other times, you may experience sleep paralysis, which is like cataplexy. You temporarily can't speak or move. But this only happens when you begin to slumber or wake up. As you drift off to sleep, or start to rise, you may hallucinate and see things that aren't real. At night, it's common to wake up often, even though you're incredibly tired throughout the day.