sleeping phenomenon #10971

Last night, I was out like a light a bit earlier than expected.

8:30pm:  I was watching Caprica and making a playlist on my laptop.

8:45pm:  I heard Dale disappear into the kitchen while I felt my consciousness suddenly start slipping away.  Within seconds, I was very close to being paralyzed, but figured it was almost ten so it was OK.  I heard Dale's voice protesting and I managed to answer that it was almost ten.  His voice faded out on me as my eyes opened briefly enough for me to get a quick glance at the time on my laptop.  It was really quarter to nine.  I thought, "Shit, this is interesting, why am I so tired?"  The next thing I can remember is sensing that my laptop had started to shift on my lap, and my hand moved to pull it closer to me.  All audio stimulation at that point completely shut off on me.  I don't even remember dreaming this time, only wondering why so freakin' early.

1am:  Something told me I must wake up because Dale was putting a blanket on me and was trying to see if I would go up to bed or not.  I managed to rise - rather energetically, in fact, which is unusual - and got spooked by the fact my laptop was missing.  Dale explained that he'd removed it.  He also told me:

- I fell asleep at quarter to nine.

- ALMOST nothing at all would rouse me.  He had watched TV, stomped across the floor several times, talked to me, did some other stuff, and eventually removed my laptop.

- The ONLY thing I woke up for was when he took a picture of me sleeping.  Apparently I woke just enough to give him some look and fall back asleep, like I'd heard the sound his camera was making.  I asked if he'd used the flash and he said no, it was just the sound alone that woke me.

- He then asked why the heck I had so much energy at 1am.  Then he fell asleep within minutes.

- I laid back down thinking I'd never fall back asleep, and wondering at the weirdness that is sleep for me, and the next thing I knew, I was wide awake and staring at the daylight in the window, wondering where the daylight had come from at 1:15am.  It turns out it was 6:30.

Not only did I fall asleep an hour and fifteen minutes earlier than my first normal sleep point, but I also woke a half an hour late.  And this is after the spring ahead time change, too, which makes it even stranger.

I'm telling you, this whole sleeping thing is not my idea.  Similar things have been happening since I was a little girl.  For years, Mum thought I was doing it on purpose and would sometimes even yell at me or put me down for it.  Other than getting into bed whenever darkness begins to fall outside, I honestly don't know how to get around it.  It's like Narcolepsy on a schedule.  Yet, I have been able to overcome it (with consequences of course) in order to do a few lan parties from time to time... but it involves LOTS of caffeine and excitement and sheer willpower to accomplish my staying up until 4am, and then I wake up at 7 or 8am, fall asleep earlier than usual, wake up later than usual, and am quite cranky and weirder than usual for a week or so.