What Is Hypersomnia?

Hypersomnia is defined as excess sleep during a day despite being a normal nighttime sleeper and includes sleepiness not related to narcolepsy. It is a state of sleepiness that can disrupt the ability to carry out tasks during the day, as well as cause tiredness, inattention, and impaired work efficiency.

Types Of Hypersomnia: Primary vs Secondary

Hypersomnia is classified into two main types: These are the primary and secondary sources of energy. Primary hypersomnia occurs randomly and is not a symptom of other diseases or disorders. Secondary hypersomnia, on the other hand, is marked by other disorders that can affect sleep, such as sleep apnea or depression.

Symptoms Of Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia’s most apparent sign is the ability to fall asleep during the day, even when one is not tired. People can also have excessive night sleep, find it hard to wake up in the morning, get anxious or be irritable, get fatigued, have night crawling, slow decision making and can also have issues with their focus.

Causes Of Hypersomnia

They added that there are numerous potential causes of hypersomnia, including health issues and behaviour. Knowledge of these causes can go a long way in identifying means of managing these treatments.

Medical Conditions that Lead To Hypersomnia

As the name suggests, hypersomnia results from a set of causes that can be categorised as medical, such as sleep disorders, neurological disorders, and other conditions like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

Lifestyle And Environmental Factors

Hypersomnia can be attributed to underlying lifestyle and environmental norms involving insufficient quantity and quality of sleep, alcoholism, some medications, and irregular working schedules.

Diagnosing Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia diagnosis is one that can only be made by a qualified healthcare provider after an assessment to identify the probable cause of the condition and the right treatment plan required in dealing with it.

Common Diagnostic Tests And What To Expect

Some diagnostic procedures used when diagnosing hypersomnia are polysomnography, multiple sleep latency tests, and sleep diary. They assist in defining sleep cycles and the presence of ailments.

When To See A Doctor?

When you have abnormal excessive daytime sleepiness that negatively impacts one’s life a doctor should be consulted. That is why prevention and early control of the disease may reduce the frequency and severity of the manifestations and improve the quality of life.

Treatment Options For Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia treatment’s main aim is targeting the root cause of the condition and ensuring that the symptoms do not interfere with a patient’s daily activities.

Medications And Their Uses

The medications useful for hypersomnia are stimulants that are useful in increasing wakefulness; they include modafinil and methylphenidate. Occasionally, antidepressant medications may also be utilised for treating symptoms that may accompany them.

Home Remedies And Lifestyle Adjustments

Hypersomnia can be treated naturally by avoiding some foods, making some changes to your daily schedule, taking regular exercises maintaining a proper sleeping timetable, and averting environmental stimuli like noise and light.

Managing Hypersomnia Day-To-Day

Therefore, to manage hypersomnia, one must address how to manage excessive daytime sleepiness and practice good habits to fall asleep.

Strategies For Coping With Daytime Sleepiness

Management of excessive daytime sleepiness entails preventing sleepiness by avoiding napping during the day, getting occupied with activities, exercising, and using relaxation methods since high-stress levels may cause poor sleep.

Importance Of Sleep Hygiene And Routine

Specific changes in the patient’s behaviour should be made to support the treatment of hypersomnia and result in proper sleep hygiene. Developing an acceptable sleep schedule is essential because it assists in letting the body know that it needs to enter the sleeping process. Reducing light and noise interference inside the bedroom helps in avoiding interferences to the sleeping cycle.

Screen time in the evening should be also minimised since the blue light emitted by devices reduces the body’s ability to produce melatonin – the hormone related to sleep. A proper bed, fitted with a comfortable and suitable mattress and a well-aired room allows the client to be able to sleep without disturbance. Combined, these customs promote better sleep and less drowsiness during the day and positively affect one’s health.

Embracing MindTalk Strategies For Overcoming Hypersomnia

At Cadabam’s, we have MindTalk strategies for dealing with hypersomnia so that a person can get out of the state of being unconscious for most of the day. Such strategies include cognitive behaviour therapy, mindful practices, and individually tailored sleep hygiene to enhance sleep efficiency and control symptoms.