Do you often find yourself fighting a constant need to sleep, even with long hours of sleep? You’re not the only one. Hypersomnia, or excessive sleepiness, is more than just being tired; it is a persistent feeling of being consistently tired that does not go away with rest. Moreover, excessive sleepiness can seriously impact your daily life. Although catching up on sleep may help some, it is often only a temporary solution, as the actual cause generally runs deeper. Among common triggers for excessive sleepiness are poor sleep habits, disturbances in your circadian rhythm from shift work or jet lag, or even chronic sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. Several medical and psychiatric issues may be associated with unrelenting drowsiness, including depression, thyroid dysfunction, anaemia, or even medication side effects; identifying what causes your fatigue is the first step to working towards finding your lost energy and alertness, so let’s do a deeper dive and know more about the reasons and causes.
Why do I feel sleepy during the day?
Whether it is poor sleep quality or an underlying health condition, we can feel spaced out or fatigued during the daytime because the body has had no real opportunity to recover. Sleep is not just undoing the accumulated fatigue from the prior wake period, but it is the time when essential bodily systems reset and regulate normal functioning. In the medical world, daytime sleepiness is called excessive daytime sleepiness or hypersomnia. In general, normal, occasional feelings of sleepiness are usually not something to worry about. To get a fuller picture of your overall sleep health, you might want to consider a home sleep test, a practical, affordable way to test for the most common sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, while sleeping in your bed.
What is excessive daytime sleepiness?
Excessive daytime sleepiness, also known as hypersomnia, is a sleep-related disorder characterised by an overwhelming urge to sleep throughout the day, especially when engaging in motionless activities like driving or reading. While feeling sleepy occasionally is normal, individuals with hypersomnia experience persistent daytime drowsiness for at least three months, even after getting adequate nighttime rest. These frequent, unrefreshing sleep episodes can impair daily functioning and elevate the risk of accidents.
Sleep Apnea and Excessive Sleepiness
Sleep apnea, a rising source of daytime drowsiness in children and adults alike, is when breathing stops and starts repeatedly during sleep, sometimes for 10 seconds or longer. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when relaxed tissues in the throat block the airway, causing snoring and gasping in the process of re-opening the airway. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain does not signal the muscles of breathing to breathe, meaning breaths drop without blockage of the airway.
In many cases, you may not know you have sleep apnea, so a partner, family member, or roommate turning your attention to snoring loudly or choking during the night may be one of your first clues. If left untreated, sleep apnea will disrupt energy during the day; affect memory, mood, and health.
As obstructive sleep apnea disrupts your breathing while you’re sleeping, it fragments your sleep and can result in excessive daytime sleepiness. You may think you’re a “good sleeper” because you can sleep anywhere, but that does not mean you should fall asleep at work or when driving. People with sleep apnea are at almost 2.5 times greater risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident than people without it.
Sleep apnea can cause other problems, too: wide swings in heart rate as well as a decrease in oxygen levels. It is associated with and the possible cause of other medical conditions such as:
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Elevated hemoglobin, or thickened blood
- Fatigue
What symptoms are common in excessive daytime sleepiness?
If you are feeling sleepy during the day, you may experience:
- Difficulty staying alert or focused
- Slower reaction time.
- Poor understanding, decision-making and memory.
- Difficulty acquiring new knowledge or skills.
- Moodiness or irritability.
- Risky behaviour, taking chances.
Symptoms commonly seen in excessive daytime sleepiness can compromise your safety, work productivity, and relationships. If the above has continued, it may be best to consult a healthcare professional.
What are the causes of excessive daytime sleepiness?
There are many different reasons excessive daytime sleepiness may occur, such as:
- Poor sleep hygiene – Disrupted or inconsistent routines, shift work, and uncomfortable conditions can prevent sleep from being restorative.
- Obstructive sleep apnea & other sleep disorders – Sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia fragment your sleep.
- Circadian rhythm disruption – Flying to different time zones, or working at night or on rotating schedules, impacts circadian rhythm and your internal clock.
- Medical & psychiatric conditions – Medical conditions such as major depression, hypothyroidism, neurological disorders (eg, MS), chronic fatigue, or infections can sometimes present as excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Medications – Medications, including sedatives, antihistamines, certain antidepressants, alcohol, or even some prescriptions, can cause daytime sleepiness.
- Lifestyle and environment – Sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, and/or nutrient deficiencies, as well as excessive use of screens (more specifically blue light), decrease energy and cause sleep disruption.
Sleep disorders
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Restless Legs Syndrome, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder – Often undiagnosed, these are causes of micro-awakening and disrupted sleep that lead to excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Narcolepsy & Idiopathic Hypersomnia – Neurological hypersomnias that disrupt sleep–wake regulation, resulting in uncontrollable sleepiness and significantly disrupted alertness hormones.
- Circadian Rhythm Sleep-wake disorders (e.g., delayed sleep phase, shift-work disorder, jet-lag) disrupt the body’s internal clock, resulting in sleep-wake misalignment, resulting in daytime fatigue and nights of restless sleep.
Other health conditions
Chronic health and mental health conditions (anxiety, depression, lupus, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, obesity, chronic pain) can all substantially contribute to excessive daytime sleepiness.
These conditions often show a bidirectional relationship with sleep; poor sleep may slow recovery or even encourage the onset or progression of such conditions as Parkinson’s disease.
What may happen if you have excessive daytime sleepiness?
Being sleepy during the day can affect your life in several ways. Some consequences it may have include:
- Increased risk of road or work accidents
- Poor quality of life
- Fights or problems in personal or social relationships
- Problems with mood regulation and emotions
- Reduced performance at work or in academics
When should you talk to your doctor?
If you are experiencing ongoing fatigue that is affecting your life, make sure to see a healthcare provider, who may order testing and gather information about your sleep habits. Your provider, particularly if they are a doctor, will ask you very detailed questions about your sleep, including information from your sleep partner regarding possible snoring, gasping for breath, and leg movements. If the provider suspects a sleep problem, they may refer you to a specialist.
If you have excessive daytime sleepiness, your provider must make a diagnosis prior to treating you, which may include suggesting better sleep hygiene, urging you to get adequate amounts of sleep, checking the medications you take and making adjustments as needed, and developing a treatment plan based on any diagnosis.
Excessive daytime sleepiness can have an impact on your daily life and limit productivity. For this reason, people with excessive daytime sleepiness need to book an appointment with a healthcare provider to ensure they are well-rested the next day.
With Remesleep, you can take the next steps towards improved rest. They offer an advanced, uncomplicated home sleep test to identify possibilities like sleep apnea and other sleeping disorders without going to the trouble of going to a lab.
Experience the convenience and effectiveness of home sleep tests with Remesleep, a simple, reliable way to learn more about and manage your sleeping patterns.
