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Oversleeping is a condition known as hypersomnia. It is not actually a sickness, but rather frequently a sign of other illnesses. In any case, hypersomnia can interfere with a person’s normal daily activities. Unnaturally prolonged sleep has an impact on both a person’s personal and professional life. So although excessive sleep might not have an immediate negative impact on one’s health, it does prohibit one from leading a healthy life.
Introduction to Hypersomnia
In most cases, hypersomnia is a sign of more serious underlying conditions including narcolepsy, sleep apnea, RLS, and other similar sleep disorders. Hypersomnia, or sleeping excessively, is a result of these more underlying factors. In some cases, a person’s regular sleep cycle is disturbed. This may manifest as insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, or poor-quality sleep. Overall, this results in sleep loss, which promotes hypersomnia, or uncontrolled daytime or office dozing.
Protracted insufficient sleep or the side effects of some medications can also cause temporary hypersomnia. Sleep loss brought on by sleep problems can result in uncontrollable daytime sleepiness or fatigue.
Hypersomnia Causes
Continuously failing to get sufficient sleep, being constantly worried or exhausted for a long period of time without resting, and not receiving excellent quality sleep are the direct causes of hypersomnia. The majority of the time, they are far from the primary causes of hypersomnia. Many brain disorders that regularly interfere with the body’s sleep cycle might lead to hypersomnia.
Be aware that several medicines, including a number of antihypertensives, antihistamines, antidepressants, antiemetics, anti-epileptics, anti-anxiety, antipsychotics, as well as other pharmaceuticals, might have sleep-inducing adverse effects.
Some of the major illnesses that contribute to hypersomnia are listed below:
Narcolepsy:
If an individual suffers from narcolepsy, the neurological condition that usually affects kids and teens, their brain is unable to control the regular cycle of sleep and wakefulness. Narcolepsy patients are frequently misdiagnosed and ignored since it is believed that they are indolent or always exhausted. Narcolepsy is likely to be misinterpreted as a mental illness on a regular basis. It is a common issue, however, it is not the one and only. It is a rare illness. Similar to an insomniac, a narcoleptic regularly wakes up in the middle of the night. Then, at inappropriate moments during the day, they will have episodes of excessive daytime drowsiness.
Sleep Apnea:
A respiratory disorder called sleep apnea causes irregular breathing. The majority of times, sleep apnea is identified in patients who have type 2 diabetes, respiratory diseases, or excessive weight. Intermittent breathing pauses that throw off the normal respiratory pattern is what really make it distinctive. Breathing issues and snoring are two more signs of sleep apnea. Because the disease causes patients to feel sleepy all day and keeps individuals from obtaining adequate restful sleep at night, it raises the probability that they may develop a sleep disorder.
RLS:
RLS is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests as an uncontrolled impulse to move one’s legs restlessly. When an individual is at work or sitting up straight, it seems to transpire. When one stands up and moves about, the pulsing or uncomfortable sensation is gone. Although RLS is not in and of itself a sleeping condition, it frequently makes it harder to sleep, which leads to lost sleep with excessive daytime drowsiness. RLS is a brain disorder characterized by abnormal basal ganglia neural activity, which is often brought on by genetic factors or an iron shortage in the body. Doctors are still unsure of what causes RLS in its true form.
Depression:
A considerable alteration in your internal clock can be one of the most prevalent symptoms of depression. When you’re sad, you may sleep considerably more or less than normal. If you lack sufficient sleep at night, you could feel quite drowsy all day. Sometimes, changes in sleep patterns might be a sign of depression. Some people begin to change their sleeping habits after developing new symptoms. Traumatic events, abnormally high concentrations of specific neuromodulators in the brain, and issues with the brain’s mood-controlling areas are only a few of the various likely causes of depression.
Aging:
According to several studies, older individuals spend longer in bed, but their sleep is of the lowest quality. The study found that middle-aged people slept less soundly. We lose the ability to maintain longer sleep cycles as we age and wake up more frequently. Because of this, one gets less sleep, which prolongs their sense of sleepiness.
Symptoms of Hypersomnia
The most typical signs of excessive sleepiness include:
- Having trouble waking up from sleep
- Having trouble waking up from sleep
- Heightened frustration and worry
- Lethargy in the muscles and slurred speech
- Dissociative episodes
- Hallucinations and/or insomnia
Treatment for Hypersomnia
Simply put, hypersomnia is a disorder that may be either temporarily controlled with medicine or completely cured by addressing the underlying ailments that are the cause of the problem. Hypersomnia can be avoided by adopting a healthy lifestyle and practicing good sleep hygiene.
- Sleep disorders are underlying conditions that can make hypersomnia worse. When a person with symptoms of hypersomnia is discovered to have a sleep disorder, the primary focus of treatment is to address the underlying issue. After therapy for sleep problems starts, hypersomnia symptoms often disappear. In some instances, encouraging restful sleep is preferable to restricting excessive sleep. Individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, for example, are given breathing equipment to assist them to diminish sleep disruptions, which minimizes the indications of hypersomnia.
- Because hypersomnia is just an issue with sleeping excessively, it can be supported by medicine that stimulates the brain. Older medications like Adderall or Ritalin induce the release of an excessive amount of dopamine into the CNS, which causes hyperactivity and alertness. However, there are significant worries regarding these drugs’ potential for addiction and reliance. Eugeroics are a relatively new class of CNS boosters that increase dopamine levels without the dangers of addiction or reliance. Currently, it is often utilized as an off-label therapy and prescription medication to lessen excessive sleep.
- Acute hypersomnia can happen to someone who doesn’t get enough sleep or is tired. If the person gets enough sleep, this is usually simple to solve. If this is a recurring issue or if the patient routinely receives little sleep, lifestyle modifications, such as eating healthily, sleeping on schedule, resting, and exercising, are suggested to halt hypersomnia throughout work hours.
Conclusions
The condition of hypersomnia often does not cause too much concern. Nevertheless, sleeping too much might make your life less enjoyable. We covered the various implications of hypersomnia, its manifestations, and even the various management techniques used to treat this problem in this blog. . There are different ways to treat hypersomnia including anti-sleep pills like Modafinil and you can even order Modafinil online now.