Hypersomnia: Symptoms, Causes, Definition and Treatments
Hypersomnia, which is the term for either excessive daytime drowsiness or excessive time spent sleeping, is a state in which an individual has difficulty staying awake in the daytime. Those who have hypersomnia could fall asleep at any time — for example, at the office or while they’re driving. They could also have other sleep-related issues, such as less energy and difficulty thinking clearly. A few scientists categorize hypersomnia as either primary or secondary. Primary hypersomnia is a neurological ailment which takes place by itself and has no recognized underlying cause. Secondary hypersomnia happens because of an underlying medical problem.
Based on the National Sleep Foundation, as much as 40% of people get some symptoms of hypersomnia every now and then. Hypersomnia symptoms and sign include:
- Stress and anxiety
- Loss of Appetite
- Trouble Staying Awake In the daytime
- Falling Asleep at Any Time
- Easily annoyed
- Very low Energy
- Memory Issues
- Slow Speech
- Slow Thinking
Causes of Hypersomnia
There are numerous possible causes of hypersomnia, including:
- The sleep issues narcolepsy (daytime sleepiness) and sleep apnea (disruptions of breathing while sleeping)
- Not obtaining sufficient sleep during the night (sleep deprivation)
- Becoming overweight
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- A head trauma or a neurological illness, like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease
- Prescribed drugs, like tranquilizers or antihistamines
- Genetics (relativeswith hypersomnia)
- Depression
Diagnosing Hypersomnia
In case you frequently feel drowsy in the daytime, speak to your doctor. To make a diagnosis of hypersomnia, your doctor asks you regarding your sleeping routines, just how much sleep you have during the night, in case you wake up at night, and whether you get to sleep in the daytime. Your doctor will also need to know if you’re having any emotional troubles or are consuming any drugs which may be disturbing your sleep.
Your doctor could also order a few tests, such as blood tests, computed tomography (CT) scans, as well as a sleep test known as polysomnography. In some instances, a further electroencephalogram (EEG), that measures the electrical activity of the brain, is required.
A doctor might want you to keep a sleep diary for a number of weeks just before setting up these tests, as well as need to know the amount of time the excessive daytime sleepiness has affected you. A diagnosis of hypersomnia will most likely not be done unless of course the offending symptoms have been in existence for around 3 continuous months, and without any obvious cause.
Natural and Prescribed Treatments for Hypersomnia
Treatment will be based significantly on the underlying cause of hypersomnia and whether it’s a primary or secondary issue. At times, catching up on sleep will relieve the excessive sleepiness; nevertheless, most of the time, it’s more effective to manage the underlying cause than it is to treat the particular symptom. The majority of common treatments are the use of stimulant medicines such as amphetamines to aid the person stay awake during the day. Additionally, behaviour therapy, sleep hygiene, as well as education are often included with the treatment regimen.
Natural Treatments for Hypersomnia
Proper sleep hygiene is an essential behavioral change which should be carried out. This consists of setting a regular sleeping routine, developing a sleeping environment which is suitable to quality sleep, a comfy bed and pillow, and staying away from caffeine or other stimulants close to bedtime.
A few treatment plans might include an effort at avoiding naps totally by using daytime stimulants, others will try to eliminate naps systematically, while some will encourage naps in well-balanced amounts and at proper times and places. The way hypersomnia gets treated, and with what final goal(s) in mind is perfectly up to the affected person, and these must be ambitious yet realistic.