1. An uncontrollable sleepiness or desire to sleep; usually, coming on at intervals even when the subject is supposed to be awake and active: An excitement-induced narcolepsy caused Herman to doze and slumber through one of the most important events of his life.
2. A sleep disorder that usually appears in young adulthood, consisting of recurring episodes of sleep during the day, and often disrupted nocturnal sleep: Quite often, narcolepsy is accompanied by sleep paralysis and hallucinations.

Sometimes narcolepsy is described as "sleep attack"

There are times when narcolepsy, or severe sleepiness, occurs so suddenly and with such overwhelming power that it is referred to as a "sleep attack".

Some victims have several "attacks" each day. Excessive daytime sleepiness often occurs at inopportune times: in the classroom, at business meetings, during a meal, in the middle of a conversation, or even when active before an audience of people; such as, an announcer on TV as shown in the above image.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally.

At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience fleeting urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, individuals will fall asleep for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes.

© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.