Explaining Cataplexy
Monday, November 24 2025
The rumours are true, I have narcolepsy with cataplexy.
Now, people always ask me what on earth that means, so I figured I’d write something on it to properly Inform The Public.
Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder, I sleep far more than the average person and can’t help myself from getting drowsy throughout the day.
That’s pretty straightforward. However, what about cataplexy?
I feel it’s kind of the odd one of the two and a really downright stupid condition.
Explaining it to people always sounds dumb because it is absolutely the dumbest thing ever. If God exists then I ought to ask why the hell did you make this man was it just for the lols or what…
So, I can suddenly and spontaneously collapse, typically when I laugh or feel emotions.
I basically uncontrollably ragdoll in real life.
I don’t make a big deal about it or anything but for people who’ve never seen it before it can come as quite a surprise.
And no, I don’t faint. I’m still conscious, I can hear and see everything. I just can’t move.
What’s even the reason a condition like this exists?
Nobody Freaking Knows.
It has some sort of connection to a lack of a brain chemical called hypocretin but that’s about all anyone can figure out.
Now, randomly collapsing at any given moment, as you might’ve guessed, makes for some fun & unique experiences!
It’s really pretty funny in hindsight some of the things that happen, like trying to carry a cup of tea, collapsing with it in my hands and spilling it all over the floor
and then just kind of sitting in the pool of it until I can regain control of my body.
Or face planting on my desk and then my face gradually sliding down pressed against the surface of the table until it slips off (leaving behind a pleasant trail of slobber might I add) and I fall off my chair.
So freaking surreal to experience these situations live and just have to witness it happen without being able to do anything at all besides maybe make some sort of desperate grunt to ask for help.
This probably contributes to why I’m not a big fan of physics…
It’s not always an immediate full body thing either,
it can be kind of a gradual process that starts with my eyelids getting droopy and my voice getting slurred, hunching over a bit and bending my knees etcetera.
People have told me before “you look drunk” or “are you high?” because of those subtle-ish but still visible bouts of cataplexy.
In those moments, internally I am Fighting for My Life to keep myself from falling.
There’s not much more to say about it than that.
It can be kind of a dangerous thing in some situations, like if I was on the edge of a high up platform or something.
I can probably never drive because of it, even while I’m medicated it still seems to affect me. But I assure you, I’m so used to it and I’ve been able to keep myself safe all these years, so it’s not a big deal.
Hopefully this helps you understand my weird situation a little better :-)
Yours Truly, Me.