Studies in Psychophysiology of Dreams

I. Introduction Narcolepsy is a clinical entity characterized by the tendency to excessive sleep during the day. This tendency is manifested in either of two ways or in combination. The majority of patients give the classic story of almost irresistible episodes of daytime sleep lasting from a few minutes to several hours.³,¹⁷,²²,²⁴In addition, according to a few investigators,³,⁴,²²,²⁴some patients do not actually fall asleep but give a history of a persistent struggle to remain awake during the day. The external situations in which narcoleptic patients become very drowsy or go to sleep often do not differ from those which make normal individuals sleepy. If a narcoleptic is bored or disinterested he will tend to doze; if stimulated, he will be more alert.³,¹⁷,²²,²⁴The difference between normals and narcoleptics appears to be one of "degree rather than kind."²⁴For ex