 
MATT UTESCH: I'm
Matt Utesch, and I'm
going to tell you what life
with narcolepsy is really like.
 
NARRATOR: Matt's story
helps us understand
what happens in our
brains as we shift
through different
levels of consciousness.
 
As a child, Matt
was full of energy.
But as he became a young adult,
his life changed dramatically.
MATT UTESCH: I started falling
asleep in English class.
It was literally like
I would just wake up,
and class was done.
My parents just thought I
was being a lazy teenager.
My teachers thought I would
stay up and party and do
a lot of things that
I shouldn't have
been doing at the age of 14.
NARRATOR: It would
take a car accident
to show that Matt's
condition was far more
serious than anyone
had realized.
MATT UTESCH: I was about
a mile and a half
from my house after working.
 
I rear-ended a lady
who was trying to turn.
I fell asleep, woke up
probably about two seconds
before I hit her.
 
That's when my parents realized
that there was something
actually wrong with me.
When I went in for
the sleep study,
it was pretty conclusive.
They told me I had narcolepsy.
NARRATOR: Narcolepsy is a
neurological disorder
characterized by excessive
daytime sleepiness.
This irrepressible
need to sleep can
occur at inappropriate
and dangerous times.
People with narcolepsy may
also experience cataplexy--
a sudden loss of muscle
tone and strength.
MATT UTESCH: For
me, at my worst it
was full blown where
my whole body goes,
and then I hit the
ground like you
imagine a tree
falling in the forest.
You're completely conscious
during this entire time.
I could hear everything
going on around me.
You get to hear the kids in high
school that would laugh at you.
So I became very introverted.
I would go to school, make
the day through, and then
go back home and play
video games, repeat.
 
At that point, I had
kind of just accepted it.
NARRATOR: For people
with narcolepsy,
relief often comes
through medication
that helps to
regulate sleep cycles.
MATT UTESCH: When I sleep,
I'm pretty well knocked out.
I don't dream a lot.
It's pretty straight through.
I wake up three hours or so
later, take my next dose,
knocks me out again for
about another three hours.
Remaining physically
active is very important,
because if you don't
work out during a day,
then you're affecting
your sleep at night.
Now if I'm driving to
work and for some reason
I'm feeling more
tired than usual,
I pull over to the
side of the road
and I take a quick five,
10-minute type of nap.
At lunch time, I take at
least a 30-minute nap,
and when I get home from work,
I take at least a 30-minute nap.
Those two are guaranteed.
 
I graduated with two
degrees in four years,
so I feel like I was
pretty accomplished there.
I've got a job that
I absolutely love.
I've got co-workers who
really respect and understand
my condition.
I know that I could
essentially do anything
that I want to do with my life.
 
