type 2 atypical narcolepsy
I dont have the dozing off while talking to people type they make fun of in popular media. I have no transition between waking state and deep sleep.
I can close my eyes at any time and be asleep within a few seconds.
I also awake fully, instantly....without grogginess or disorientation.
Because I only DEEP sleep...I can get a full nights rest and be completely rejuvenated in about 3-4 hours.
My natural waking period ranged from 18 to 36 hours per cycle. My typical week is only 4-5 waking Periods long and I only sleep about 12-16 hours per week.
If I do not choose to enter sleep I will fall out randomly like type 1 narcoleptics do. If I exceed 30 hours of wakefulness I run the risk of microsleeps and sudden loss of consciousness but am otherwise relatively free of those issues....
The two areas of exception.....
Deep thought...If I get lost in my own head too long...if Im too focused on one thought for too long....Ill fall out...there is a hazy line between deep thought and a dream state that I sometimes trip over.
The second exception...I dont drive outside of city limits alone after dark. There is insufficient visual stimulation, my mind wanders, and I fall out. I have to have a copilot for safety sake. If my copilot goes to sleep I have to pull over and sleep or I could end up falling out while driving.
For some reason, the cause of my condition is unknown, just as slipping between consciousness and unconsciousness is effortless for me...there is a blending of the two that creates some issues/powers. I hear everything going on around me while dreaming like a radio playing in the background. I am able to, without disturbing my dream, interact with those around me in the waking world. Its like interacting with someone who is talking in their sleep....except Im aware and do not randomly babble secrets. My kids can be talking to each other...say trying to find something...and I will, without waking, tell them where something is, or answer a question they are debating.
I often sleep with noise cancelling headphones to avoid these distractions as they can cause me to choose to wake up before I am fully rested.
The final manifestation of my superpower....I dont use alarms. I can sleep for precise increments of time. I wake up exactly when I am supposed to everytime. While its a great way to avoid sleeping in, being late to work, etc....The greatest benefit to this....
I use this ability to time jump. I wear sunglasses most of the time due to a seemingly unrelated sensitivity to florescent lighting. When Im early to something, when Im made to wait for any reason....I close my eyes and fall out. If someone speaks to me I wake instantly and they never know I was asleep....otherwise, I look at the clock, close my eyes and open them back up....like a blink in my perception...but 5, 10, 15 minutes pass in the course of that blink.
TLDR Barely sleeps but never tired.