Hypersomnia refers to either excessive daytime sleepiness or excessive time spent sleeping. When a person has this condition he has trouble staying awake during the day. A person with hypersomnia can fall asleep at any time. According to data from the National Sleep Foundation, up to 40% of people experience symptoms of hypersomnia from time to time.
Several factors can cause hypersomnia. The most common ones are:
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder. The most visible symptom of this disorder is excessive daytime sleepiness. When a person has narcolepsy, he also experiences cataplexy and abnormal REM sleep. Narcolepsy is often characterized by extreme fatigue. A person with narcolepsy may fall asleep at inappropriate times.
Kleine-Levin syndrome is a rare disorder. A person with Klein-Levin syndrome has recurrent episodes of excessive sleep. This is often accompanied by cognitive and behavioral changes. It is not unusual for a person with this disorder to sleep for up to 20 hours per day. An episode of Kleine-Levin syndrome can last for a few days. Some episodes can last up to a few weeks.
Idiopathic Hypersomnia is a sleep disorder where a person feels excessively sleepy during the day. It is also very difficult to awaken from sleep a person with Idiopathic Hypersomnia. Even if a person suffering from Idiopathic Hypersomnia sleeps longer during the night, it won’t improve daytime sleepiness.
Insufficient Sleep Syndrome is the most common cause of daytime sleepiness. This condition occurs when a person regularly fails to get sufficient sleep during the night. A person with this condition is unable to feel alert and well-rested during the day.
Insufficient sleep syndrome is a voluntary sleep disorder and is a type of hypersomnia. This means that this disorder is a result of unintentional actions by the patient. It affects nearly 30 percent of adults. This disorder stems from getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night. According to… Read More »Insufficient Sleep Syndrome
Idiopathic Hypersomnia (IH) is a type of rare sleep disorder. Individuals with IH feel excessively sleepy during the day. A person with IH feels sleepy even after getting a full night’s sleep. A person with IH also has difficulty waking up after sleeping. The difficulty in waking up happens even… Read More »Idiopathic Hypersomnia
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder. It causes a disruption in the sleep and wakefulness state of the affected person. As a result someone with narcolepsy experiences excessive sleepiness and sleep paralysis. This sleep disorder is also characterized by hallucinations. In rare cases, a patient suffering from narcolepsy might experience episodes… Read More »Narcolepsy
What is Kleine-Levin Syndrome? Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS) is a rare sleep disorder. This disorder is characterized by persistent episodic hypersomnia. A patient with KLS might also experience cognitive or behavioral changes. When an individual has KLS, he may sleep for up to 20 hours per day during an episode. Because… Read More »Kleine-Levin Syndrome