Hypersomnia: Symptoms, Types, Causes, and Treatment

People often wake up feeling very sleepy throughout the day and all this is after they have had a full night’s sleep. This constant drowsiness can affect your work productivity, social relations, and daily functioning. If you’re curious about hypersomnia, a condition that slowly eats away your energy and efficiency, this article is the ideal guide. Learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatment of this condition, and finally, regain your energy and have a good night's sleep. 

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.

FAQs 

What is the main cause of hypersomnia? 

The most common causes of hypersomnia are neurologic disorders; these include sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or clinical depression. Others include lack of or irregular sleeping patterns, fatigue due to recurrent stress, and some drugs. 

What is the most common treatment for hypersomnia? 

This form of hypersomnia is mostly treated by medication that is used to give strength and make the patient awake and a special kind of therapy that may involve a change of some habits that lead to the development of this disease together with treatment of other diseases that may lead to excessive sleepiness. 

How do I stop hypersomnia? 

To prevent hypersomnia, one should get into a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same times each day, engage in proper sleep hygiene, too as well as reduce stress levels, and should also consult a doctor if he or she has a medical condition. It is advisable for one to seek the services of a doctor to receive the proper diagnosis and treatment that is right for them. 

Which deficiency causes hypersomnia? 

It can be caused by a deficiency in iron, vitamin B12, or vitamin D. These disturbances affect energy and sleep parameters, resulting in increased sleep during the day.