It's nearly impossible to live a normal life when you suffer from narcolepsy. This sleeping disorder prevents victims from having a restful night's sleep, and causes random urges to fall asleep at any point in time.

Usually narcoleptics also suffer from insomnia, which is a sleeping disorder relating to having an inability to sleep. Other symptoms may include rapid eye movement (REM) while sleeping, hallucinations, or remaining paralysed for a short period after waking up.

Narcoleptic spurts are caused by excitement, fear, or being shocked or surprised. Only in a calm state of mind can an extreme narcoleptic remain conscious.

Although there is no known cause for narcolepsy, one has been theorized. Specific genetic dispositions are common with narcoleptics. This includes part of the sixth chromosome, or the HLA complex, which is linked to the protein production of an individual in the brain.

One out of every 2,000 people will show signs of this disorder, meaning an estimated 3 million around the world have it.

Narcolepsy sounds like a really unfortunate thing to have. Everyday tasks would become a struggle, and there would always be an unconscious fear of becoming excited and falling asleep.

Narcolepsy is not soley present in humans. Animals may suffer as well, which can be even more traumatizing because they tend to lead a more hyperactive lifestyle. Take, for instance, pet dogs, like the one in this video, shown to me by senior Marika Iyer, who thought it was hilariously funny. It is funny, regardless of the unfortunate state of the little dog.