Narcolepsy is a unique and distinct disorder of sleep which on one hand amuses and allures us into its multifaceted clinical and polysomnographic presentations and at the same time evades early and accurate diagnosis because of the gap in knowledge even among well trained medical personnel. Patients with narcolepsy have a misplaced REM sleep which attempts to precede other stages of sleep and often succeeds and even disturbs wakefulness by its frequent intrusions. This intrusion can bring along the associated muscle atonia of REM sleep causing patients to lose their balance and fall, an event often precipitated by laughter or other emotional stimuli. This phenomenon is referred to as cataplexy. However, narcolepsy can occur without cataplexy also. The other manifestations include hypnogogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis.
