What Is Hypersomnia?
Hypersomnia, which refers to either excessive daytime sleepiness or excessive time spent sleeping, is a condition that makes it hard to stay awake during the day. When you have it, you might fall asleep at any time – like at work or while you’re driving. You may have other sleep-related problems, too, including lack of energy and trouble thinking clearly.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, up to 40% of people have some symptoms of hypersomnia from time to time.
Primary hypersomnia
This type of hypersomnia is when you don’t have another medical condition causing your condition. There are four conditions of this type:
- Narcolepsy type 1 is a type of hypersomnia caused by having low levels of a chemical in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid called hypocretin (orexin). Your brain can’t control when you sleep and when you’re awake the way it should. When you have narcolepsy type 1, a daytime nap is usually short and helps you feel more refreshed, which isn’t true for other types of hypersomnia. This type of narcolepsy is also called narcolepsy with cataplexy, which means it can cause sudden muscle weakness when you feel emotion.
- Narcolepsy type 2 has milder symptoms than narcolepsy type 1. You have normal levels of hypocretin and don’t have cataplexy.
- Idiopathic hypersomnia is hypersomnia without a cause that doctors can find. Idiopathic means “no known cause.”
- Kleine-Levin syndrome is rare, and it happens mostly in teenagers assigned male at birth. It causes extreme bouts of hypersomnia. When you have it, you may sleep as many as 20 hours in a day. Episodes of extreme hypersomnia may last from a few days to a few weeks. Doctors think these episodes are related to a malfunction of the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls appetite, and thalamus, the part of the brain that controls sleep.
Secondary hypersomnia
This type of hypersomnia is caused by something else. Maybe you deal with excessive sleepiness because of physical or mental health conditions, drugs or other substances, an injury, or a genetic disorder.
- Related:Insomnia Myths and Facts
Some health conditions that can cause hypersomnia are:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Hypothyroidism
- Migraines
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Peptic ulcers
- Epilepsy
- Encephalitis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Obesity
- Multiple system atrophy
- Myotonic dystrophy
- Mood disorders such as depression
Substances that can cause hypersomnia include:
- Sedatives such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, melatonin, and sleeping aids
- Blood pressure medications
- Anti-epileptic drugs
- Parkinson’s disease medications
- Skeletal muscle relaxants
- Antipsychotic drugs
- Opiates (hydrocodone, oxycodone)
- Cannabis (marijuana)
- Alcohol
You may also have hypersomnia as you go through withdrawal from a stimulant drug, such as an ADHD medication.
You can also get hypersomnia from insufficient sleep syndrome, which simply means you don’t practice sleep habits (like not exercising or drinking caffeine within a few hours of bedtime) that allow you to get enough rest.
Causes of Hypersomnia
There are several potential causes of hypersomnia, including:
- The sleep disorders narcolepsy (daytime sleepiness) and sleep apnea (interruptions of breathing during sleep)
- Not getting enough sleep at night (sleep deprivation)
- Idiopathic hypersomnia
- Being overweight
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- A head injury or a neurological disease, such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease
- Prescription drugs, such as tranquilizers or antihistamines
- Genetics (having a relative with hypersomnia)
- Depression
Diagnosing Hypersomnia
If you consistently feel drowsy during the day, talk to your doctor. In diagnosing hypersomnia, your doctor will ask you about your sleeping habits, how much sleep you get at night, if you wake up at night, and whether you fall asleep during the day. Your doctor will also want to know if you are having any emotional problems or are taking any drugs that may be interfering with your sleep.
Your doctor may also order some tests, including blood tests, computed tomography (CT) scans, and a sleep test called polysomnography. In some cases, an electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the electrical activity of the brain, is needed.
Treatment of Hypersomnia
If you are diagnosed with hypersomnia, your doctor can prescribe various drugs to treat it, including stimulants, antidepressants, as well as several newer medications (for example, Provigil, Wakix, Xyrem, and Xywav).
If you are taking a medication that causes drowsiness, ask your doctor about changing to one that is less likely to make you sleepy. You may also want to go to bed earlier to try to get more sleep at night, and eliminate alcohol and caffeine.
