Why am I so sleepy? Causes and solutions

Our difficulties sleeping can be based on different factors, like the continuous need to close our eyes that some people or ourselves have at certain times. Thus, the sensation of being very sleepy on a continuous basis can be the symptom of an illness or the logical consequence of not resting well during the periods designated for this.

We speak of excessive sleep when the need to sleep occurs outside of the hours designated for this activity and, in itself, this time exceeds eight hours. It should not be confused with fatigue or apathy, which are often caused by lack of physical and mental occupation. On the other hand, the need to sleep at all hours may be motivated by depression or having gone through a period of great stress.

Sleep disorders

Drowsiness can be caused by many sleep-related illnesses, also called sleep disorders. Among them are hypersomnia, narcolepsy and Kleine-Levin syndromealso called “sleeping beauty syndrome.”

Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia is subdivided into different classes, but they all refer to the abundance of sleep during the day. Hypersomnias do not prevent nighttime sleep, so people who suffer from them sleep without major problems during the night.

At no time is this daytime sleep restorative, so patients find their daily lives frustrated by this sensation, enjoying in a few moments the feeling of being rested. The symptoms that are accompanied by this are the following:

Sleeping 10 or more hours in a row. The deep sleep phase is excessively long. The person has problems staying awake during the day.

Kleine-Levin syndrome

One type of hypersomnia, recurrent hypersomnia, is related to Kleine-Levin syndrome, not very common and mainly affects men. Episodes of extreme sleep in this disease occur with a frequency of 1 to 10 times per year and their duration ranges from days to weeks. These people can sleep 16 to 18 hours.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy patients move unusually quickly from the alert phase to the REM phase, so suffer “sleep attacks” in unexpected situations. These “naps” last a few hours and, although the effect is restorative, the need to sleep occurs again after 2-3 hours. This condition is very dangerous as they can fall asleep while walking or driving.

Other causes of excessive sleep

In many cases, the causes of excessive sleep are found in so-called secondary hypersomnias, that is, those in which daytime sleepiness appears as a result of other medical disorders, the consumption of medications or other sleep disorders. Among them we can mention the ones you have below.

Sleep apnea

It is a sleep disorder in which breathing progressively stops and starts repeatedly and abruptly. This disorder is usually associated with the presence of loud snoring, interrupted sleep at night and a feeling of tiredness during the day.

Insomnia

On the other hand, Insomnia is a sleep disorder related to difficulty falling asleep or sleeping the number of hours necessary to ensure a restful rest. The causes of insomnia can be physiological or psychological, but, in any case, it is important to pay attention to this sleep problem to prevent it from causing us drowsiness during the day.

Other medical disorders

Diseases such as diabetes, anemia or fibromyalgia, to name just a few, often cause daytime sleepiness, either due to poor quality sleep, as in the case of fibromyalgia, or due to the absence of iron, as in anemia.

Medicines

Some medications cause hypersomnia. Examples of them are some antidepressants, antihistamines, opioids or some muscle relaxants. Likewise, chemotherapy is also a common cause of excessive sleepiness.

Strategies to prevent or relieve symptoms

Once the abnormal need to sleep is detected, the first thing to do will be to consult a specialist. On the other hand, acquiring some good habits related to rest It will always benefit us, regardless of whether we suffer from a pathology or not. These are some guidelines we can follow:

Drink enough water. Poor hydration will make us feel more tired. If we really suffer from sleeping sickness, we should not aggravate it with the bad habit of not drinking water. What’s more, with this habit we will be helping the proper functioning of our entire body.Get away from stress. Situations that generate stress in us affect the quality of our sleep and alter it. We may have the sensation of having slept deeply for many hours but having slept too lightly.Surround yourself with positive emotions. Negative emotions influence fatigue and affect our body in many other ways. When we are low in spirit or anxious we just want to sleep.Create healthy patterns. A good method to control our sleep is to maintain a clear routine: always go to bed at the same time, avoid long naps and at various times, and always sleep a healthy amount of hours. In this way, our circadian rhythms will be in perfect health.

Let’s think that our sleep pattern can be modified by different circumstances in our environment: it is not necessarily an indicator of illness. Our way of sleeping is constantly changing, depending on our age, our habits or how we relate to the environment. That is why, if there is any suspicion and as a first step to worrying, we should consult with a specialist and apply the strategies we have mentioned (whether or not they solve the problem, in all cases they will make us rest better).

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