narcolepsy | what is it?

So... one of the first things people usually say when they find out I have narcolepsy is... "what is it?" (usually accompanied by the slightly alarmed "never heard of it before... is it contagious?" look).

I figure that it is a fair question as I'd never heard of it before either... until I decided I was going to figure out if there was an official name & explanation for the symptoms I had come to regard as part of my everyday experience over the last decade.

Well here's a definition that is given by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:

Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system characterized by the brain's inability to control sleep-wake cycles... (where sufferers) experience irresistible and sudden bouts of sleep which can last a few seconds to several minutes.   

People may unwillingly fall asleep while at work or at school, when having a conversation, playing a game, eating a meal, or, most dangerously, when driving an automobile or operating other types of machinery.

Yup.  So, while it's not always as exaggerated as they make it out to be in the movies (think Rat Race & Deuce Bigalow) I can get tired quite suddenly and it can happen more than once on any given day.

Ok.  That's the first instalment.  Feel free to ask questions and I'll try to answer them.


Oh and in case you were wondering, no it is not contagious. :)