Sleep is one of the most important factor in determining a person’s overall health. Some people believe that getting not enough sleep or even too much sleep per day can’t do any bad or negative effects to their health. What they do not fully understand about sleep is that, sleep disturbances or alterations in the normal sleep and wake cycle can only be sign of a more serious underlying medical condition. If you are suffering from any sleep problems, it will be best If you will see your physician to make sure that you are not suffering from one of the many sleep disorders.
Hypersomnia
Hypersomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by episodes of excessive and uncontrolled drowsiness during the day and overly long periods of sleep during the night. Even though the person suffering from hypersomnia sleeps for more than the required sleeping hours in a day, he or she still feels unrefreshed and well rested during the morning. In fact, hypersomnia is quite common, affecting more or less 5% young adults to middle adults. And according to the studies and researches conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 40% of all people around the world will some hypersomnia symptoms at some point of their lives.
What Causes Hypersomnia?
Many cases of hypersomnia have an unknown exact causative factor. However, there are some cases of hypersomnia that can be caused or related to physical causes, such as:
- Head Trauma
- Brain Tumor
- Injury to the Central Nervous System
Aside from physical causes, some symptoms of hypersomnia can also be caused by drug abuse, caffeine and constant alcohol intake. Aside from drugs, caffeine, and alcohol, hypersomnia is found to be caused by these other underlying medical conditions:
- Dysfunction to the Autonomic Nervous System
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Epilepsy
- Seizure Disorders
- Depression
- Overweight or Obesity
Hypersomnia and other Sleep Disorders
It does not mean if hypersomnia is a kind of sleep disorder, it can’t be aggravated or caused by another sleep disorder. There are some sleep disorders and/or circadian rhythm problems that can cause symptoms of hypersomnia, thus resulting to the development of hypersomnia. Here are some of the sleep disorders and circadian rhythm problems that can possibly be a cause for hypersomnia:
- Insomnia – difficulty falling and staying asleep at night.
- Narcolepsy – uncontrolled episodes of dramatic drowsiness during inappropriate times of the day.
- Sleep deprivation
- Sleep apnea – several episodes of breathing cessation during sleep.
