During a cataplectic attack, the person is completely awake and later will have total recall of the entire event. It is extremely rare for cataplexy to occur independently of narcolepsy. Indeed, excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy are sufficient for a diagnosis of narcolepsy. Back to Top Hypnogogic and Hypnopompic Hallucinations Hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations are not peculiar to narcolepsy, though they occur at a very high rate of frequency in most cases of narcolepsy. However, they are the predominant subsymptom in only an estimated 5 percent of narcolepsy patients and appear in other disorders as well.
Hypnogogic hallucinations occur while falling asleep, and hypnopompic hallucinations upon awakening.
Both last a few minutes. The hallucinations can be visual, auditory, or tactile and often frighten or disconcert the patient with terrifying shapes and noises. It is possible to wake up a patient during hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations without further distressing them. These hallucinations are similar to nightmares, in that they are typically more intense, and their effects last longer than mild dreams or daydreams. In the past, patients who suffered from hallucinations were sometimes misdiagnosed as schizophrenic.