Sleep, Actually
Cataplexy
A sudden, brief loss of muscle tone while awake, often triggered by strong emotion such as laughter.
NINDS describes cataplexy as a sudden loss of muscle tone while a person is awake, commonly triggered by strong emotions — laughter is the classic example, but surprise, anger, or delight are described too.
It ranges from very subtle to complete: a slackened jaw, a dropped head, buckling knees, or a full collapse. People are typically conscious and aware throughout, and episodes are usually brief.
It is not fainting and it is not a seizure. It is one of the features clinicians associate with Type 1 narcolepsy.
What does that mean?
Related journal prompts
Optional. Recording what you notice may help you prepare questions for a qualified healthcare professional. NAP never infers a cause from what you write.
- If something like this happened today, what was going on just before?
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Excessive daytime sleepiness
Persistent, overwhelming daytime sleep pressure that a normal night's sleep does not reliably resolve.
Sleep paralysis
A temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking, usually lasting seconds to a couple of minutes.
Dream-like experiences around sleep
Vivid, sometimes unsettling images or sensations while falling asleep (hypnagogic) or waking (hypnopompic).
Dreaming, Nightmares, and Narcolepsy
Nightmares, dream-like experiences around sleep, sleep paralysis, and dream enactment are related but distinct experiences.
Fragmented nighttime sleep
Frequently broken nights — a common and often surprising part of a condition associated with daytime sleepiness.
Automatic behaviour
Continuing a familiar activity while partly asleep, with little or no memory of it afterwards.