Hypersomnia: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and Management Everyday Health MenuNewslettersSearch Sleep What Is Hypersomnia Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment and Prevention By Brian P. Dunleavy and Moira LawlerMedically Reviewed by Chester Wu, MDReviewed: June 15, 2022Medically ReviewedFeeling drowsy and sluggish once in a while isn’t unusual, but if these symptoms occur frequently — for example, over a period of several months or more than two days per week — and interfere with your work, school, activities, or relationships, you may be dealing with hypersomnia, the medical term for excessive daytime sleepiness. “It’s when you can’t pay attention to things, you can’t focus,” says Carl W. Bazil, MD, PhD, a clinical neurophysiologist with Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. “Some people think they’re having memory problems when it’s actually hypersomnia.”According to the Sleep Foundation, as many as 20 percent of people experience excessive daytime sleepiness. Daytime sleepiness isn’t usually a disorder itself but a symptom of conditions that can have serious health effects, such as obstructive sleep apnea. Or it could be the result of getting a bad night’s sleep. “That's something we run into all the time,” Dr. Bazil says, adding that a lack of sleep can affect your performance on a daily basis. And of course, over time not getting enough sleep can lead to a host of health problems. No matter the underlying cause, feeling exhausted during the day is not something you’ll want to brush aside. “No matter how it shows up, it can be a sign of a serious problem, and it needs to be addressed,” says Vishesh Kapur, MD, a sleep medicine physician and founder of the UW Medicine Sleep Medicine Clinic in Seattle. Most Recent in Sleep Night Owls Have a Higher Risk of Diabetes Heart Disease 11 Celebrities Who Struggle With Sleep Just Like the Rest of Us Health Problems Linked to Untreated Narcolepsy 4 Narcolepsy Symptoms That Can Impact Your Life — and How to Manage Them Types of HypersomniaThere are two types of hypersomnia: primary hypersomnia and secondary hypersomnia. You may not necessarily hear these terms from your doctor, however, explains Safia Khan, MD, assistant professor of family medicine and neurology at UT Southwestern's Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute in Dallas. “Different clinics practice differently, but we don't specifically call it primary or secondary hypersomnia.”Primary hypersomnia means the daytime sleepiness occurs on its own and cannot be traced back to another health condition, according to the Hypersomnia Foundation. Primary hypersomnia affects about 1 percent of the population and is an umbrella term that includes diagnoses for narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and Klein-Levin syndrome, according to the American Sleep Association. More often, however, hypersomnia is caused by another health issue, Bazil says. That’s called secondary hypersomnia and the potential causes include depression, obesity, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, substance abuse, restless leg syndrome, upper airway resistance syndrome, and sleep deprivation. Obstructive sleep apnea is another common cause, Bazil says. Causes of Hypersomnia According to both Bazil and Dr. Kapur, the top cause of excessive daytime sleepiness they see in their clinical practice isn’t an underlying disorder or condition but rather lack of adequate sleep duration.Kapur says adults should try to sleep seven to nine hours per night, but more than one-third (35 percent) of American adults average less than seven hours nightly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bazil adds some people fall outside this window and may need more than nine hours of sleep a night in order to feel refreshed.Outside of sleep deprivation, the following conditions can cause hypersomnia: Sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or narcolepsyOther medical conditions, including multiple sclerosis, depression, encephalitis, epilepsy, or obesityAlcohol and recreational drug usePrescription medications, such as high blood pressure medications, steroids, decongestants, antidepressants, and diet pills A genetic predisposition Editor' s Picks How Much Sleep Do You Really Need Each Night Your sleep needs change as you get older.…Learn More Symptoms of HypersomniaHypersomnia means you experience excessive daytime sleepiness, which can significantly affect work and family life, as well as increase risk of accidents while driving or in other settings.Symptoms of hypersomnia can include: Feeling very sleepy during the dayHaving difficulty waking up in the morningFeeling anxious, restless, and irritableHaving headaches, loss of appetite, or hallucinationsHaving trouble focusing, concentrating, and thinking and talking quickly Hypersomnia Diagnosis If this sounds like something you’re dealing with, your first visit should be to your primary care doctor, who will likely start by trying to rule out any obvious reasons for the sleepiness. He or she may refer you to a sleep specialist to properly identify any underlying causes of the hypersomnia and to discuss treatment options.A sleep specialist will review your symptoms, history, and the medications you take. He or she may ask you to keep a sleep diary to log your sleep.“Then, we'll typically do a polysomnography, which looks at other things that are disturbing your sleep and making it ineffective,” Bazil says. A polysomnography records your brain waves, blood oxygen level, heart rate, breathing, and eye and leg movements, according to Mayo Clinic. This will help your doctor determine if you’re getting an adequate amount of restful sleep. “There's a simple one you can do at home overnight or you can do a more involved one in a sleep laboratory,” Bazil says. If you are getting enough sleep and are still experiencing daytime sleepiness, it’s possible you have idiopathic hypersomnia. “Idiopathic hypersomnia is really a diagnosis of exclusion,” Bazil says. “If you are still sleepy and there's no other diagnosis, that's idiopathic hypersomnia, though it’s pretty unusual.”The criteria to be diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia include: You experience excessive sleepiness with prolonged sleep or daily daytime sleep episodes for at least one month (or you experience excessive sleepiness that lasts at least three days several times a year for at least two years)You’re unable to function properly and see the effects mentally, socially, and professionallyYour excessive sleepiness isn’t due to another cause Treatment for Hypersomnia Treatment differs depending on if you’re dealing with primary or secondary hypersomnia. “If you have secondary hypersomnia, you can't treat the hypersomnia without treating the underlying disorder,” Dr. Khan says. If diagnosed with an underlying condition, treatment may involve making some changes to your daily sleep habits and possibly taking medication. For idiopathic hypersomnia, there are two approaches to medication. “There are some medications that can help consolidate sleep at night,” Bazil says. “There are other medicines that are used for wakefulness during the day.”Medications that promote wakefulness include modafinil, armodafinil and pitolisant, and solriamfetol. Generally, your doctor will start with one of these, and if it doesn’t work, he or she may prescribe psychostimulants (such as amphetamine, methylphenidate, or dextroamphetamine), sodium oxybate, flumazenil, or clarithromycin.Sometimes lifestyle changes to improve your sleep habits can help with excessive daytime sleepiness. The American Sleep Association recommends the following strategies: Keep a regular sleep routine. Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time, ideally every night of the week.Don’t nap. Naps decrease the amount of sleep you need the next night, causing sleep fragmentation and difficulty falling asleep at bedtime.Turn off the TV and other electronic devices before you get into bed. The bed is a place for rest, and staring at computer, cell phone, and laptop screens may overstimulate your brain and keep you awake.Avoid caffeinated drinks later in the day. Caffeine’s effects last for several hours, so skip beverages like coffee, tea, and soda after noon.Exercise regularly. Exercise promotes continuous sleep, but try to get your workout in earlier in the day. Avoid rigorous exercise before bedtime, as it stimulates the circulation of endorphins in your body, which may keep you awake.Maintain a quiet, comfortable bedroom. Set your bedroom thermostat at a comfortable temperature. If your pets keep you awake, keep them out of the bedroom. You should also keep your bedroom dark and have a comfortable mattress. Hypersomnia Prevention and OutlookHypersomnia can be prevented with good hygiene (in some cases) and treating the underlying cause. Ultimately, each individual’s outlook is different — it depends on what’s causing the daytime sleepiness. And though hypersomnia is not life-threatening (unless you get into an accident as a result of the sleepiness), hypersomnia can have serious implications in your day-to-day life. You can, however, gain control of your excessive daytime sleepiness by working with your doctor to find the right treatment and making changes, with a goal of better sleep, improved function during the day, and a more well-rested, healthier, and safer you. Editor' s Picks How to Fix Your Sleep ScheduleTips for getting your nightly slumber back on track.…Learn More Hypersomnia Research and StatisticsHypersomnia:Is more common in women than menAffects about 5 percent of the population, with primary hypersomnia occurring in only about 1 percent of the populationIs usually diagnosed between the ages of 17 and 24Hypersomnia has been studied for about the last 20 years. There remains a lot we don’t know about it, including a consistent definition of excessive sleepiness, how many people it truly affects, and how it differs by ethnic group. However, there are a number of studies in the works looking at the efficacy of various treatments. Khan says one area of research is looking into antibiotic anthramycin as a treatment option for idiopathic hypersomnia. Sodium oxybate, a prescription drug that induces a very deep sleep, is a relatively new treatment for idiopathic hypersomnia, Bazil says. Khan says a possible future area of research could be how diet affects hypersomnia. “Anecdotally, I’ve had patients report improved symptoms when they avoid processed food and improve their diet,” Khan says. Hypersomnia in BIPOC CommunitiesAs of right now, there isn’t very much research surrounding how hypersomnia differs among ethnicities and backgrounds. Khan says in her experience, ethnicities do not present any differently.It’s worth noting that the majority of the people in the Hypersomnia Foundation’s patient registry are white (92.9 percent), despite white people making up about 60 percent of the U.S. population. Roughly 2 percent of their database is Black, 3.2 percent Hispanic, and 1.3 percent Asian."We strongly believe that racial [or] ethnic minorities experience more barriers to diagnosis of sleep disorders than white populations,” according to a statement from the Hypersomnia Foundation about these barriers. The statement cites additional barriers, such as lack of insurance coverage, lack of access to sleep specialists, poor access to technology, and historical and cultural influences as factors that could potentially prevent people from BIPOC communities from being diagnosed with hypersomnia and being counted in the registry. Related ConditionsSome of the conditions most closely related to hypersomnia include: EpilepsyHypothyroidismEncephalitisMultiple sclerosisParkinson’s diseaseObesityObstructive sleep apneaDelated sleep phase syndromeMultiple systems atrophyMyotonic dystrophyMood disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal depressionDiseases related to the central nervous systemHead traumaTumors Resources We Love The Hypersomnia Foundation The Hypersomnia Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the unmet needs of people with hypersomnia and related sleep disorders. The website has information about various sleep disorders, treatment options, current research, and a directory of providers who can help. Their page for the “newly diagnosed” is particularly helpful for anyone who’s learning to deal with hypersomnia. The organization also has a guide for parents of children with idiopathic hypersomnia. Here, you’ll find guides on how to ask for special accommodations, how technology can help, and how to navigate your child entering higher education. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) NSF has been around for more than three decades and serves as a go-to resource for sleep science and sleep health. The website has consumer-facing articles on how to get a good night’s sleep, how to know if your sleep habits are normal, and when it’s time to see a doctor for sleep issues. The Hypersomnia Alliance The Hypersomnia Alliance is a group that helps people connect via online support groups and retreats for people with hypersomnia and narcolepsy. Their website has a list of Facebook support groups that could be helpful for those looking to connect with others in similar situations. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Sleep This NIH site can help you learn what sleep is and why it matters. It covers what’s happening within the brain while sleep occurs, how technology can be used to track your sleep, and more. Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking Excessive Sleepiness. Sleep Foundation. March 25, 2022.Classification of Hypersomnias. Hypersomnia Foundation. February 27, 2022.Hypersomnia: Symptoms, Causes, Definition and Treatments. American Sleep Association.Short Sleep Duration Among US Adults. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 2, 2017.Hypersomnia. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Hypersomnia Foundation.Narcolepsy. Sleep Foundation. March 18, 2022.Hypersomnia. Cleveland Clinic. October 27, 2021.Dauvilliers Y. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. December 2005.Polysomnography (Sleep Study). Mayo Clinic. December 1, 2020.Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. June 2016.Sleep Hygiene Tips. American Sleep Association.A Call to Action: Racial Disparities in Hypersomnia Disorders. Hypersomnia Foundation. October 4, 2020.Ohayon MM. From Wakefulness to Excessive Sleepiness: What We Know and Still Need to Know. Sleep Medicine Reviews. April 2008.Medicines That Can Cause Insomnia. National Jewish Health. March 1, 2017.Show LessNEWSLETTERS Sign up for our Healthy Living Newsletter SubscribeBy subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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