People are just finding out they could be living with ‘hypersomnia’ that could explain why they are always tired
Does this sound like you? You get a good night's sleep and yet still feel tired and irritable during the day. You sleep for hours at a time in the day as well as the night, and have to take regular naps.
If this seems familiar, you could be suffering from a little-known medical condition
It's called 'hypersomnia', and it might mean you'll need to visit a doctor.
What is hypersomnia and what causes it?
According to the NHS, hypersomnia is the feeling of being excessively sleepy during the daytime, even if you've been getting enough sleep at night.
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It's not just about feeling tired all the time as you may end up having to have a nap during the day or even end up falling asleep despite getting hours of sleep during the night.
As for the causes, there are other sleep related conditions which might be linked to hypersomnia which you can look out for other symptoms of.
If you feel the need to sleep anywhere and without warning that can be a sign of narcolepsy.
Experts also said that drinking too much, taking certain medicines or using drugs could also cause hypersomnia.
However, in the case of 'idiopathic hypersomnia' where you can have a long sleep and still wake up felling confused, irritable and not refreshed, the NHS says no known cause has been identified.
What to do if you think you have hypersomnia
If you think you have it, then you're advised to go and see a GP, particularly if you sleep a lot during the day and the feeling of tiredness is affecting your life.
Your doctor will ask you about various things that may be a factor in hypersomnia, as well as suggest you keep a sleep diary to track your visits to the land of nod.
If you do end up learning you have it then you'll need to make sure the DVLA knows about it, as you could be fined £1,000
Treatment will depend on the cause and you might be referred to a doctor who is an expert in sleep to help you further.
You may not be able to cure hypersomnia by going back to the basics on getting good sleep, but it can't hurt.
People who want to get a good, restful sleep are advised to make sure they're going to bed at the same time every night, and to avoid consuming caffeine or alcohol which will disrupt your sleep.
You should seek to create the most peaceful environment possible to sleep in, which means keeping the lights and sounds of outside away from your bedroom.
If you can avoid medicine that causes drowsiness that's a bonus, but if they're important then you ought to continue taking them, while you should try and avoid working very late into the night.
It's a lot to do and it won't completely rid you of hypersomnia but doing everything you can to get the most restful night's sleep is very important.
Topics: Health, Sleep, NHS, Mental Health
Joe Harker