Reader’s Digest asked the sleep specialists what people need to know about narcolepsy.

“Cataplexy is one of the most fascinating symptoms of the illness because it is so variable. It can be as subtle as drooping of the eyelids, slurring of speech, or bobbing of the head or neck, [or it can be] someone completely collapsing to the ground. I have seen cataplexy in golfers who got excited when they made a hole-in-one, and in a high school student who just got accepted into the college of her choice.”