Hypersomnia – A Disorder of Excessive Sleeping

People who have a tendency to oversleep do not realize that they suffer from a type of sleep disorder known as hypersomnia. Such people not only oversleep during the night but also tend to sleep for long hours during the day. This should not be confused with someone taking a nap in the afternoon as people suffering from this disorder will sleep at some unsuitable times like when at work, while consuming food or even when they are talking to someone.

Sleep Disorders Narcolepsy

Some hypersomniacs might also be suffering from narcolepsy and this can be potentially hazardous as these people might fall asleep when they are performing activities like cooking or driving. You might see people suffering from this problem just doze off in the middle of a conversation and then suddenly wake up and continue from where they stopped.

The symptoms of this disorder are not relieved by taking a nap during the day. These people not only have great trouble waking up from sleep but also suffer from other symptoms like anxiety, disorientation, hallucinations, high amount of fatigue, less energy levels, loss of appetite, prolonged sleep, restlessness, reduced rate of thinking and speech and memory problems.

Due to the disorder, many people with this condition might find it very difficult to function normally within social, family and work circles.

Hypersomnia is attributed to disorders like narcolepsy or sleep apnea causing problems to the functioning of the autonomic nervous system and may be initiated by excessive alcohol consumption or by use of drugs. It can also be triggered due to some issues like tumor, nerve injuries or trauma to the head. Use of some medications or withdrawal from use can also initiate the problem in some people. Depression, epilepsy, encephalitis, multiple sclerosis and obesity have also been known to cause the problem.

Some people are also known to have inherited the problem genetically although some cases are seen where there is no cause to which the condition can be attributed to. This problem usually affects people in the age group between 20 and 30 years of age. If you need more information on this condition you can even have a look at the website of National Institute of Neurological Disorders and get to know more. The idea behind learning more about this condition is not intended to avoid visiting a doctor and seeking suitable advice but only for the purpose of education so that it will help you know more and seek medical help and treatment.

It is very essential to seek a doctor’s help and advice if you feel that you are having some issues with your sleep cycles as this might lead to other type of problems. Obese people are more likely to have problems with reducing their weight if they are having problems with their sleep as reduction in the amount of sleep can help in improving the rate of metabolism and increase hunger thus affecting weight loss.

For this reason, obese people end up consuming more food than is necessary as their sleep and waking cycles are very abnormal and they end up feeling hungry at all inappropriate times. So, it becomes very difficult for obese people to reduce their weight because of prolonged sleep at inappropriate times and not being able to rest their body when they need to rather than consuming food at that particular time.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypersomnia

Psychology of Hypersomnia
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O87-hypersomnia.html

Introduction to Hypersomnia
http://www.medicinenet.com/hypersomnia/article.htm