Narcolepsy is a medical condition where a person has uncontrollable and sudden sleep attacks, causing them to fall asleep at unexpected or inappropriate times. Full definition
When you add up the hours of total sleep time, people with narcolepsy don't necessarily sleep any more than people who don't have the sleep disorder. (sleepeducation.org)
The signs and symptoms that occur during an attack of narcolepsy with cataplexy include: (petpremium.com)
The next big clue came when Mignot of Stanford University tracked down a gene for narcolepsy in dogs and discovered it caused a mutation in a receptor for hypocretin, a neuropeptide involved in prodding the central nervous system awake and maintaining alertness and good muscle tone. (discovermagazine.com)