Hypersomnia is a medical condition or a sleep disorder somehow the total opposite of insomnia. In insomnia, a person finds it hard to fall asleep and even stay asleep during the night, wherein in hypersomnia, a person finds it hard to wake up on time due to a prolonged sleeping time. Aside from prolong sleeping time, hypersomnia is also characterized by several episodes of excessive drowsiness during the day that can make a person suffering from the medical condition to fall asleep at any time. People suffering from hypersomnia will have difficulties in performing at their best at work, in school, and in any other activities of daily living.

Causes of Hypersomnia

What is Hypersomnia.jpg — What is Hypersomnia?

There are several factors that can possibly cause insomnia, such as:

Other sleep disorders – Narcolepsy or sleep apnea can potentially cause or lead to hypersomnia. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive drowsiness anytime during the day, while sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by several episodes of breathing cessation during sleep.
Sleep deprivation – Sleep deprivation can possibly cause hypersomnia since the body will try to gain lost sleeping time. When the body is sleep deprived, the next day, the body will try to sleep for longer hours, which can cause a person to be oversleeping.
Injury to the Central Nervous System
Multiple Sclerosis
Encephalitis
Being Overweight or Obese
Depression – Depressed people feel most of the time tired and want to sleep for hours or even most time of the day.
Genetics – Some people suffering from hypersomnia have a genetic predisposition.

Symptoms of Hypersomnia

As mentioned earlier, people suffering from insomnia experience excessive daytime sleepiness, falling asleep at any time during the day, and prolonged sleeping hours. Aside from those three mentioned, people suffering from hypersomnia will feel very tired that they will be needed to take several long naps during the day, usually during inappropriate times during the day. Even though people suffering from hypersomnia take several naps during the day, they still can’t feel any relief of symptoms, such as drowsiness and tiredness. During the night, the person suffering from hypersomnia finds it usually very hard waking up early in the morning. Here are some other symptoms of hypersomnia: