5. Sleep Paralysis
Sleep paralysis is one of the most terrifying symptoms of narcolepsy. When a person is sleeping, the brain prevents the body from moving around. This helps keep a sleeping person safe and prevents them from acting out their dreams and sleepwalking.
When a person suffers from narcolepsy, they often experience sleep paralysis while they are awake. The person wakes up before the brain has time to release the body. A person I awake and alert, but unable to move. During this time, they may also hallucinate or have trouble telling the difference between what is real and what isn’t.
Many people experience nightmares with sleep paralysis which can make hallucinations more severe and seem all the more real. Since people with narcolepsy can fall asleep anytime, sleep paralysis can occur at any point. This can be exhausting, stressful, and scary for a person to deal with, especially on a regular basis.