Do you suffer from daytime sleepiness, also known as daytime somnolence? Wondering whether it is a sign of another underlying issue or health condition? If so, continue reading this article to find out the answers you need.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Basics
Although it is not a disorder itself, excessive daytime sleepiness is one of the major warning signs of poor sleep quality, sleep disorders, or other health problems. It is characterized by facing difficulty staying awake and alert and having a strong urge to sleepduring the day.
However, this doesn’t mean that your daytime somnolence is an issue if it happens once in a while. Indeed, daytime sleepiness is considered a warning sign if it happens almost every day for three or more months.
In addition, daytime sleepiness is usually confused with fatigue as lack of energy is a typical symptom of both conditions. Yet, the main difference between these two is that those with fatigue can remain awake even though they feel tired.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Symptoms and Consequences
In general, sleep deprivation results in symptoms that are not normally directly linked to sleep. But we have to understand that sleep is crucial for numerous bodily processes such as restoring the immune system or consolidating memory. Therefore, excessive daytime sleepiness may result in any of the following symptoms:
- Irritation and mood swings
- Difficulty staying alert
- Memory issues
- Focus problems
- Cognitive impairments
- Risk-taking behavior
- Decision-making issues
- Slower reaction time
As a result, if you have been experiencing these symptoms, or at least some of them, for a longer period of time, you may experience the following effects and consequences:
- Increased risk of accidents
- Reduced work and academic performance
- Poor quality of life
- Emotion and mood control issues
- Relationship and social issues
Furthermore, long-term lack of sleep has been connected to an increased risk of developing obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic health conditions. In adults, excessive daytime sleepiness leads to a higher risk of falls, cognitive impairment, memory loss, and earlier mortality. In children, daytime sleepiness negatively affects development.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Causes
Although there are numerous potential causes of excessive sleepiness, the most common one is chronic lack of sleep and poor sleep quality. Other possible causes include smoking, lack of exercise, and other lifestyle choices. Plus, when people experience sleepiness but don’t appear to have sleeping issues, the cause may be an underlying health condition or sleep disorder.
Sleep Disorders
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), periodic limb movement disorder, and restless legs syndrome are all sleep disorders that cause micro-awakenings and disrupted sleep and thus lead to sleep deprivation.
Other sleep-related disorders like narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia affect the neurological mechanisms that control the sleep cycle leading to increased daytime sleepiness. Also, circadian rhythm disorder disconnects the inner body clock and the times when one should be awake which can cause insomnia and daytime sleepiness.
Other Health Conditions
Finally, daytime sleepiness is a warning sign of many chronic conditions and mental health disorders including schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, obesity, cancer, hypothyroidism, etc.
Moreover, daytime sleepiness can sometimes be a side effect of certain medications used for treating health conditions. The same goes for smoking, alcohol, or narcotics.
Conclusion
The bottom line, excessive daytime sleepiness can be a serious condition pointing to an underlying health problem. Therefore, if your sleepiness is affecting your everyday life, ensure you consult your doctor to identify and treat the cause of it.