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Hypersomnia articles
What is hypersomnia?
Hypersomnia is a chronic nervous system disorder wherein one may experience prolonged night-time sleep or excessive daytime sleepiness. Unlike those who feel tired due to inadequate or disturbed sleep, a person suffering from hypersomnia feels compelled to take long naps during the day even after a full night’s sleep. Hypersomnia is often associated with other diseases and impacts the everyday life of patients.
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What are its main signs and symptoms?
Most common symptoms:
- Constant complaint of excessive daytime sleep or sleepiness
- One feels the need to take repeated naps at inappropriate times such as while working, eating or even in the middle of conversations.
- Daytime naps do not reduce the symptom of excessive sleepiness, and one may often feel disoriented or groggy after a long nap.
Other symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Increased irritation
- Restlessness
- Reduced energy
- A slow thought process and speech that persist through the day
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty functioning at family or social gatherings and in occupational settings
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What are its main causes?
Like most neurological disorders, the cause of hypersomnia is not well known. However, there is evidence of overproduction of a certain molecule in the body that interacts with a hormone in the brain and promotes sleepiness.
Common causes include:
- Sleep disorders like narcolepsy and sleep apnea
- Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system
- Drug or alcohol abuse
Other causes include:
- Tumours
- Injury of the brain or central nervous system
- Certain medications or withdrawal of certain drugs may lead to hypersomnia such as antidepressants, anxiety lowering agents, antihistaminics, and more
- Disorders like multiple sclerosis, depression, encephalitis, epilepsy or obesity may contribute to hypersomnia
- There is evidence of a genetic predisposition contributing to hypersomnia. In such cases, hypersomnia is usually recognised before adulthood.
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How is it diagnosed and treated?
A thorough medical history in the presence of a family member to assess symptoms and sleep habits will aid in the diagnosis.
- Medications may have to be stopped in order to rule out medications as the cause of hypersomnia.
- You will be advised tests to diagnose any underlying medical conditions.
Investigations for hypersomnia include:
- An overnight sleep test or polysomnography (PSG) test
- Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT)
- Maintenance of wakefulness test
Treatment of hypersomnia is based on providing symptomatic relief and treating the underlying cause
- Medications include antidepressants and wakefulness-promoting agents
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is also found to be helpful in some patients with hypersomnia
Self-care:
- Avoid factors that disturb the sleeping pattern such as working till late in the night or social activities at night.
- Alcohol and caffeine should be avoided.
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