Living With Idiopathic Hypersomnia

sleep problem

Having trouble keeping your eyes open during the day? Your daytime sleepiness could be the result of a prolonged period of inadequate nocturnal sleep. Idiopathic hypersomnia refers to either excessive sleepiness during the day or overly long periods of nighttime sleep. This condition can have an intense or even dangerous impact on your life. In this article, we’ll discuss the symptoms of this sleep disorder and how it can be treated.

Patients suffering from hypersomnia often lose the ability to function in family, social and occupational settings. The condition most commonly impacts teenagers, young adults and people who are overweight. This can exacerbate their weight problems, as their excessive sleep patterns means that they will use less energy. In addition to excessive sleepiness and long nighttime sleeping, symptoms include irritability, mild depression and difficulty concentrating. For this reason, people with hypersomnia should be cautious when driving or operating machinery. Kleine-Levin syndrome is a form of hypersomnia that features slightly different symptoms. Sufferers may sleep for eighteen or more hours a day and are irritable, uninhibited, and make indiscriminate sexual advances. People with Kleine-Levin syndrome often eat uncontrollably and rapidly gain weight. However, this form of recurrent hypersomnia is very rare.

Recurring hypersomnia involves periods of excessive daytime sleepiness that can last from one to many days, and recur over the course of a year or more. With recurring hypersomnia, a person will have prolonged periods where they do not exhibit any signs of the malady. However, persons experiencing idiopathic hypersomnia are affected by it nearly all the time.

There is no known cure for idiopathic hypersomnia, but a combination of lifestyle modifications and medication can help. A regular sleep schedule, even on weekends, will make a world of difference. It’s not unusual for patients to think they may have narcolepsy or hypersomnia, when the real problem is insufficient sleep time each night. It’s also important to avoid caffeine, alcohol, activities or medications that may affect sleep. Some drugs used to treat hypersomnia are also used to treat narcolepsy. These include medications that stimulate the central nervous system such as Provigi, Ritalin and various amphetamines. Provigi is a newer stimulant that isn’t as addictive as other medications and doesn’t produce the highs and lows often associated with other drugs. Amphetamines, while effective, can cause nervousness and heart palpitations in some patients.

Sleep deprivation or excessive sleeping can impact both your health and quality of life, so it’s important to see a doctor if you suspect that you are suffering from a sleep disorder. Because idiopathic hypersomnia can have dangerous consequences, it must be treated as soon as possible. A sleep disorder center can give you great medical care and support so that the condition doesn’t prevent you from participating in all of the activities that you normally enjoy.

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1 Comment so far

  1. Christine July 7, 2009 12:57 am

    I was diagnosed with ideopathic hypersomnia about two years ago. I’m on medication (provigil) and it started losing its effectiveness so my dr. increased the dosage about 6 months ago. I’m again feeling like it’s effectiveness is wearing off. Often in order to stay awake well into the evening or to muster up energy to exercise, in addition to taking my meds I also drink an energy drink (usually red bull) and sometimes have more than one energy drink in a day. This has done the trick but lately energy drinks seem to be losing their effectiveness too. Just yesterday I took my medicine, drank a 12 oz red bull, went for a 5.5 mile run and within 3 hours of that run I was napping because I was feeling so tired. I’m saying “I’m tired” a lot again and I was hoping the medicine was going to be my miracle drug….it was in the beginning, but it’s losing its effectiveness. Is there anything else I can do? If meds aren’t going to work is there a homeopathic solution I can try?

    HELP!

    Thank you,
    Christine ~

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