Answer: Generally speaking, patients with narcolepsy do not necessarily get more sleep than normal people. Rather, their normal patterns of sleep become heavily fragmented. They may even experience hallucinations or sleep paralysis as a part of their condition. Overall, about half of people with narcolepsy actually struggle to sleep soundly through the nighttime sleep cycle. It is an integral part of their body’s confusion in regard to their circadian rhythm.
These episodes, called “sleep attacks,” can occur at any time, even during the middle of a conversation. People with narcolepsy often find it difficult to stay awake for long periods of time, no matter how much they sleep. They may also have other sleep-related problems, such as insomnia and sleep apnea. Narcolepsy can cause you to sleep for many hours. In fact, people with narcolepsy often sleep for long periods of time, but their sleep is often interrupted by frequent awakenings.