| Sleep disorders | Narcolepsy A sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and recurring unwanted episodes of sleep. People with narcolepsy may abruptly fall asleep at almost any time, including while talking, eating, or even walking. Cataplexy Most people with narcolepsy also experience cataplexy,a sudden muscular weakness without loss of consciousness, which usually accompanies laughter or anger. Other symptoms includes sleep paralysis and vivid hallucinations. |
I didn’t need to ask I just knew. I was going to end up in a mental institution, and it scared me half to death. Today, at the age of 44, I now know I have narcolepsy. Unlike a missing limb or many other brain disorders or disabilities, people don’t look at me and see a disability, they don’t see anything different at all.  | | Muhammad asleep again. |
I still see evil looking faces and monsters in my room just after getting into bed. I lie there petrified as twisted and deformed faces hover above my own, and again in the morning while I’m waking up. So many of these times I am convinced somebody is in my room, and after all these years I still feel as scared to be alone at bed time, and I have found nothing has helped the torment to pass easer. Living with narcolepsy isn’t always as straight forward as dropping a pill to stay awake or getting more sleep. That works for some, but many people with narcolepsy have secondary conditions, one being called cataplexy.  | | Muhammad's carpet burns after falling down. |
I had cataplexy on the tube once after reading something funny in a Newspaper. I fell onto the woman next to me who then pushed me off her onto the floor. I was down there for four or five stops while a person walked over me and made out I wasn’t even there. One guy actually put his feet on my back like a footrest! I was left traumatized by the public, I could have been dead. The public often think I’m on drugs or drunk and treat me as such because I’m sleepy. These days I never go anywhere without somebody with me because most people don’t know about my condition, including doctors and neurologists. I have made a Video Nation film which shows some of the effects of living with narcolepsy and cataplexy. Take a look:
 Video Nation: Narcolepsy >
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