The most common causes of
One of the main causes of falling asleep when sitting down is you're not getting enough sleep at night. According to the National Institute on Aging, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night for optimal health. Many elderly people have difficulty sleeping at night, so they spend their days feeling tired and sluggish.
Severe daytime drowsiness is a common symptom of sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia, and it could also be a sign of diabetes or an underactive thyroid. Obesity and depression can contribute to daytime drowsiness, too.
Reasons for fatigue in females include high sleep debt, being out of sync with your circadian rhythm, your menstrual cycle and period, pregnancy, menopause, hormonal contraceptives, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress and anxiety, medication side effects, and medical conditions like thyroid issues or anemia.
Hypersomnia means excessive sleepiness. There are many different causes, the most common in our society being inadequate sleep. This may be due to shiftwork, family demands (such as a new baby), study or social life. Other causes include sleep disorders, medication, and medical and psychiatric illnesses.
If you fall asleep within 5 minutes of your head hitting the pillow, you probably aren't getting enough sleep. If you find yourself consistently falling asleep on the couch, it is a good indicator that you need to start going to bed earlier.
Things that have been suggested as possible triggers of narcolepsy include: hormonal changes, which can occur during puberty or the menopause. major psychological stress. an infection, such as swine flu, or the medicine used to vaccinate against it (Pandemrix)
Narcolepsy is characterized by uncontrollable excessive daytime sleepiness, paroxysmal cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations. It is often misdiagnosed as psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia, resulting from the overlap in symptoms and a lack of understanding of narcolepsy.
What is narcolepsy? Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to control sleep-wake cycles. People with narcolepsy may feel rested after waking, but then feel very sleepy throughout much of the day.
Excessive daytime sleepiness is usually the first sign of narcolepsy. It can have a significant impact on everyday life. Feeling drowsy throughout the day and struggling to stay awake makes it difficult to concentrate at work or school. People with narcolepsy may be misjudged as being lazy or rude.
Falling asleep in less than five minutes could signal an unhealthy level of sleepiness. It could be a sign that you haven't had enough sleep. It could also mean that your sleep has been fragmented or disturbed.
There are 5 main symptoms of narcolepsy, referred to by the acronym CHESS (Cataplexy, Hallucinations, Excessive daytime sleepiness, Sleep paralysis, Sleep disruption). While all patients with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness, they may not experience all 5 symptoms.
Stimulants. Drugs that stimulate the central nervous system are the primary treatment to help people with narcolepsy stay awake during the day. Your health care provider may recommend modafinil (Provigil) or armodafinil (Nuvigil). These medicines aren't as habit-forming as older stimulants.
Narcolepsy can usually be diagnosed by observing how you sleep and ruling out other conditions. See a GP if you think you have narcolepsy. Before your appointment, you may find it useful to record your symptoms in a diary or complete an Epworth sleepiness questionnaire.
Habitually falling asleep while watching movies could potentially be a sign of undiagnosed sleep apnea, Prather says, “if it's happening constantly and it's happening in other settings, particularly in the daytime after what you think is an OK night of sleep.” Does this apply to you?
Simply put, microsleep is when you fall asleep for a period of several seconds. As the name implies, microsleep occurs so quickly that people who have an episode might not even realize they have fallen asleep. Microsleep can occur at any time of day, not just at night.
Many people enjoy spending a few extra hours in bed on a weekend morning. However, some individuals frequently experience an extreme desire to remain in bed. They may even feel like they cannot get out of bed at all. These feelings and desires may be referred to as dysania, clinomania, or clinophilia.
Causes of hypersomnia
Possible causes of excessive daytime sleepiness. Some medicines, drinking too much alcohol and taking drugs can also cause excessive daytime sleepiness. Sometimes there is no known cause. This is called idiopathic hypersomnia.
Too much sleep — as well as not enough sleep — raises the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, anxiety and obesity in adults age 45 and older. Sleeping too much puts you at greater risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes than sleeping too little.
Falling asleep too early is a symptom of Advanced Phase Sleep Disorder, and it often goes hand-in-hand with Sleep Maintenance Insomnia. Both are problems that disrupt your sleep cycle and affect the quality of sleep.
You need to be medically able to drive, which includes being able to stay awake. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the government agency that oversees highway safety, says that people with narcolepsy should only drive if they're on a treatment that helps them stay awake.
Summary. A person with narcolepsy is extremely sleepy all the time and, in severe cases, falls asleep involuntarily several times every day. Narcolepsy is caused by a malfunction in a brain structure called the hypothalamus. Mild cases of narcolepsy can be managed with regular naps, while severe cases need medication.