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narcolepsy
Narcolepsy overtakes TV announcer.

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Sudden sleepiness, or narcolepsy, can cause embarassment when it occurs without warning, as it often does for some people.


This entry is located in the following unit: An Illustrated Approach to a Bigger and Better Vocabulary (page 1)
narcolepsy (s) (noun), narcolepsies (pl)
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.
Example of man on TV with narcolepsy.
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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.

An uncontrollable condition of falling asleep.
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A unit related to: “narcolepsy
(narcoleptics struggle against sleepiness all day long)