Dr Allen, 35, a scientist, suffers from bouts of 'cataplexy', a rare symptom of narcolepsy, triggered by strong emotions - such as fear, surprise or laughter.
The attacks cause her to lose control of her body and she collapses into a deep sleep - although she remains conscious throughout.Each collapse lasts between 30 seconds to five minutes and at its worst Claire can endure up to 100 attacks each day.
A "surprise" as simple as a chair in a room having moved to a different place or giggling at a shared joke could spark an attack and leave her helpless on the floor.
But Claire has found a new lease of life and now only suffers several attacks every month thanks to Xyrem, a new drug developed to help narcoleptics.
Claire, from Cambridge, described how she first loses her speech and vision before her body buckles - but she remains completely "awake".
She said: "The attacks are caused by any emotional surprise or shock but laughter is definitely the strongest trigger.
"The very first symptoms were my head nodding like a child trying to stay awake and after six months I was having full collapses where my body would go from under me.
"A few years ago I stopped all my medications for a trial and I discovered the true extent of my symptoms - around 100 collapses a day.
"I find that they happen more often during social contact with other people, perhaps because I'm more self-conscious.
"There is no pain at all, but my speech will go first so I can't communicate what is happening, followed by my vision and then my body crumples beneath me.
"It doesn't feel any different to being awake, except that I can't see or move at all as I'm in a total state of paralysis.
"It's very odd for people around me to see me go down and then come round in a few minutes and be absolutely fine."
Narcolepsy causes severe disruption to sleep patterns and Claire, who works as a research scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, wakes up around 20 to 30 times each night.
But the new drug Xyrem puts Claire into a deep sleep for three-and-a-half hours so she must take a second dose in the middle of the the night to get a full seven hours sleep.
She said: "For the last five years I hadn't slept for more than an hour at a time so the first time I slept for more than three hours it was incredible.
"All of the things that your body normally does at night - like repairing your skin and your nails and hair growing - just weren't happening for me.
"Now I am much better at managing my lifestyle and getting plenty of rest to cut down on the cataplexic attacks.
"Many people go undiagnosed for many years. having only half of my symptoms could have a devastating effect on someone's life."
Researchers have found that narcolepsy may be caused by an irregularity to the brain cells which control the sleep hormone hypocretin.
An estimated 25,000 people in the UK suffer from narcolepsy but many remain undiagnosed due to the varying nature of the symptoms.
Dr John Shneerson, an expert at Papworth Hospital's Sleep Centre in Cambridge, said that narcoleptics can wait for more than a decade for diagnosis.
He said: "Quality of life can be badly hit if untreated. Their studies suffer. They avoid driving. They are afraid to look after young children on their own and take baths.
"They don't get into relationships, get promoted or do physical exercise.
"A great many lives would be improved if narcolepsy were better recognised. People are surprised by how well it's possible to manage.
Dr Allen said she was forced to stop driving five-and-a-half years ago after she was diagnosed with narcolepsy.
She added that a new type of medication which has allowed her to sleep normally at night has also improved the condition of her hair and nails.
She said: "The doctor told me that narcolepsy can dramatically slow down hair and nail growth because your body repairs them during sleep.
"Since I have been sleeping through the night my hair is in much better condition and I have been able to grow my nails."
TOP 6 EXAMPLES OF CLAIRE'S COLLAPSES
1 - Claire collapsed every time she arrived at the home of her goddaughter because she was so excited to see her. Since taking her new medication she has finally managed to get through the door without a collapse.
2 - Thinking of something funny can trigger an attack for Claire. On one occasion she was running to hide before 'ambushing' a friend. However, she thought the plan was so funny she collapsed before she reached the hiding place and her friend discovered her in a heap on the floor.
3 - Claire was shopping alone in a department store when she suffered a collapse. Staff rushed to help her and were so concerned they called an ambulance. When Claire came round she had to explain to the paramedics that she was perfectly fine - but suffered from narcolepsy.
4 - Claire would often collapse while walking down the corridor at work when she was surprised by someone coming out of a door unexpectedly.
5 - While using a pedestrian crossing Claire laughed at something a friend said to her and collapsed in the middle of the road. She did not come round for three minutes.
6 - One day a friend shouted 'hello' to Claire as she was riding her bike. The surprise caused her to collapse and fall off although she escaped with just bruises.
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