Comment by dlandis
> That particular symptom is called cataplexy, and it's my chief narcoleptic symptom. You lose control of your muscles, either in part of your body or in all of it, and then you can't move for a while. Your mouth and face require muscles to move, so if they're undergoing cataplexy you won't be able to use those either
What if he fell facedown on something like a blanket and couldn’t breathe??
Author here. It’s not a totalizing immobilization, it’s not the same as straight paralysis. It’s more like you’ve forgotten how to move your body than that you physically cannot, it is very difficult to express with just words. Discomfort and pain can help break the spell, as well as an impending sense of danger. That’s not to say it can’t be dangerous, but unless you’re falling into traffic or lava or something, I’ve never felt all that unsafe. Asphyxiation has never been a worry.