Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
Excessive Sleepiness
It is normal to feel sleepy after a night of sleep loss. But excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a medical term that describes extreme grogginess occurring almost every day for at least three months. EDS makes it difficult or impossible to stay awake during the day. A wide range of medical and psychological conditions can lead to EDS, including sleep apnea, narcolepsy, hypothyroidism, chronic pain, depression, and anxiety.
- EDS is believed to occur in up to 25% of the population.
- EDS is not a sleep disorder itself but rather a symptom of many sleep disorders and other health conditions.
- To determine the cause of EDS, a doctor may recommend a sleep study or other tests.
Symptoms of Excessive Sleepiness
Sleep plays an important role in consolidating memory, restoring the immune system, and other vital processes. As a result, a lack of quality sleep may result in a host of symptoms that may not immediately be connected to sleep.
Even if you do not consciously feel sleepy, you may be suffering from excessive sleepiness if you are experiencing any of the following:
- Trouble staying alert
- Feelings of irritation
- Memory problems
- Trouble focusing
- Difficulty retaining new concepts
- Difficulty making decisions
- Slower reaction times
- Risk-taking behaviors
Consequences of Daytime Somnolence
Being sleepy can have wide-ranging effects on health and daily life. Consequences of daytime somnolence include:
- Increased risk of car and work
- Decreased work productivity or academic performance
- Worse quality of life
- Problems regulating mood and emotions.
- Social and relationship problems
Excessive sleepiness may be particularly dangerous for young adults, shift workers, medical staff, and people who drive for extended amounts of time.
Long-term sleep deprivation has been linked to a higher risk of developing diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Daytime sleepiness in children may affect development.
In older adults, daytime sleepiness heightens the risk for falls, memory loss, and earlier mortality.
Causes of Excessive Sleepiness
There are many possible causes of excessive daytime sleepiness. One of the most common is a chronic lack of sleep whether due to long work hours, an irregular schedule, insomnia, or other reasons.
Excessive sleepiness can also be caused by getting fragmented or otherwise poor-quality sleep. Waking up multiple times a night to use the bathroom, for example, disrupts the natural progression of the sleep stages and may reduce the proportion of restorative slow-wave sleep. Smoking, not exercising enough, and other lifestyle habits may also interfere with sleep quality and cause daytime sleepiness.
Many people who experience excessive daytime sleepiness do not appear to have any problems sleeping enough. In these cases, sleepiness may be a sign of an underlying health condition or sleep disorder.
Sleep-Wake Disorders
Sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), restless legs syndrome, and periodic limb movement disorder are known for causing fragmented sleep. These conditions can cause micro-awakenings that disrupt the flow of sleep, though people may not be aware they have these disorders until they visit a sleep doctor or participate in a sleep study.
Other sleep-wake disorders influence the neurological mechanisms that regulate the sleep cycle. Conditions such as narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia are thought to influence the hormones responsible for promoting wakefulness, causing sleepiness during the day.
Similarly, people with circadian rhythm experience a disconnect between their inner body clock and the times when they need to be awake. This disconnect can cause both insomnia while trying to sleep and excessive sleepiness while awake.
Other Health Conditions
Chronic medical conditions and mental health disorders are often accompanied by daytime sleepiness. Common culprits include depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, lupus, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer, chronic pain, obesity, and hypothyroidism, among others.
Health conditions and sleep problems often have a bidirectional effect. Failure to sleep well can interfere with recovery and may also predict diagnoses of health issues such as Parkinson’s disease further down the line. Emerging research suggests that the propensity for daytime sleepiness may even have a genetic component.
Medications used to treat health conditions may also cause daytime sleepiness as a side effect, as can substances such as alcohol or narcotics.