Carcolepsy

The act of getting sleepy while riding in a car. The word is a portmanteau word from car (for a motor vehicle, but it can occur on a plane or a train as well) and narcolepsy (a sleep disorder). The difference between carcolepsy and narcolepsy is that people who suffer from carcolepsy occurs in people who do not have a sleep disorder. It is theorized that people with carcolepsy are sensitive to gentle vibrations, the sound of the car engine or the tires interacting with the road, and a rocking motion. These stimuli have a soothing effect on some individuals. This sometimes interferes with the person being able to drive although they have no manifestations of narcolepsy. The best example of carcolepsy, although the term is not often used in this situation is taking a fussy baby for a car ride to make them sleepy. Sleep medicine physicians sometimes jokingly use carcolepsy when someone brings this issue to their attention.

I was really looking forward to a chat with Aunt Helen on the drive to Grandma's house but she had an "attack" of carcolepsy as soon as she got into the car and slept the whole way there

by Jerold in Citrus Park October 18, 2023

Marcolepsy

When the player of a DnD character is missing for a session and the explanation for the character's absence is "They're asleep." Named after a character whose player was frequently missing.

Player: Dang, they've been missing for a while...
DM: Yeah, the Marcolepsy is real. It's contagious too, you know?

by nymbr March 6, 2024