wattWe all feel tired and tired at some point – you know that feeling and you want to change your “to do” list to a “do nothing” list and then lie down and take a nap. But if you often find yourself struggling to stay awake during the day, there may be more to it than just being groggy. It could be excessive daytime sleepiness.
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a medical condition in which the need for sleep is so intense that it interferes with daily activities, even if you get enough sleep at night, according to a May 2021 clinical review. Mayo Clinic Litigation Records1. According to the review, as many as one-third of U.S. adults report excessive daytime sleepiness.
“Excessive daytime sleepiness is a specific medical term that refers to a strong desire or possibility to fall asleep,” says board-certified pediatric neurologist Anne Marie Morse, a pediatric neurologist with clinical and research interests in sleep medicine and director of Pediatric Neurology at Geisinger Medical The Academic Director Center is located in Pennsylvania. “People will have to struggle to stay awake and experience inappropriate sleep during periods of wakefulness.”
According to the NHS, EDS can have a significant impact on quality of life as it affects mood, memory, concentration, concentration and productivity, while also increasing the risk of accidents and other health conditions. EDS is often also a symptom of another disease, which means it can have multiple causes and requires medical expertise to diagnose and treat, Dr. Morse said.
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Read on to learn more about EDS, how it differs from drowsiness or fatigue, and what you can do if you think you’re dealing with it.
Who does excessive daytime sleepiness primarily affect?
Regardless of the reason for your lack of sleep, regularly getting less than seven hours of sleep per night puts you at risk for EDS, says Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, director of the Sleep Disorders Center. , “Sleep deprivation is the leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness,” adding: “Forty percent of U.S. adults are chronically sleep deprived.”
There are two different types of EDS: primary and secondary. According to the Cleveland Clinic, primary EDS (also called primary hypersomnia) means that the need to sleep is not a symptom or caused by another medical problem, but rather due to areas of the brain and nervous system associated with sleep. Occurs due to inability to function properly. Some examples of primary EDS disorders include narcolepsy and Klein-Levin syndrome (sometimes called “Sleeping Beauty syndrome”).
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), secondary EDS (or EDS caused by other causes) is more common than primary EDS. While these causes are sometimes divided into “medical” and “non-medical” categories, Dr. Morse says that’s not entirely accurate. “It’s all medical because something biologically causes” the need for sleep, she explains.
According to the AAFP, some secondary causes of EDS include:
- Sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or circadian rhythm sleep disorder
- Medical conditions that interrupt the sleep-wake cycle, including stroke, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease
- mental health conditions, especially depression
- Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs (including sleeping pills, opioids, and antihistamines)
- Behaviors that lead to sleep deprivation, such as shift work, late nights, or jet lag
“It’s important not to normalize sleepiness. It’s not normal, it’s just common. —Anne Marie Morse, DO
How is this different from simply being tired?
Fatigue, tiredness, or feeling groggy are common, but they are not the same as EDS, although the two conditions can coexist, Dr. Morse said. For example, if you experience fatigue, you may feel physically and mentally exhausted and unable to complete certain tasks, but you may not be excessively sleepy. But if you have EDS, you may need to nap multiple times during the day, even if you’ve gotten enough sleep at night, she explains.
In addition to bouts of fatigue, EDS can affect your life. Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer said it is often associated with social and occupational impairment, psychological distress, occupational and motor vehicle accidents, and interpersonal conflict.
“EDS invades every aspect of life,” Dr. Morse said. “You may be more irritable, depressed, or anxious. It can impair your ability to perform tasks, make you more likely to make mistakes, and be more frustrating when you make them. Because people with EDS are prone to mood swings and irritability, she adds. This condition can also affect relationships.
Daytime sleepiness is also a potential risk
EDS not only affects quality of life but also increases the risk of accidents and other health problems. According to a January 2018 article, EDS are a leading cause of workplace injuries and are estimated to be responsible for nearly one in five motor vehicle accidents in the United States. journal of the missouri state medical society2. According to a September 2023 article, in addition to the risk of falling asleep while driving, EDS can increase reaction times, which can affect a driver’s ability to quickly correct the vehicle or keep the vehicle in its lane. sleep3.
“Whether you work in an office or are a professional athlete, EDS can cause lapses in judgment and awareness and put you at risk,” Dr. Morse said. “Driving with EDS carries the same reaction time risks and legal consequences as driving under the influence. If you don’t let your friend leave excited, don’t let your friend leave exhausted,” she added.
Dr. Morse also said that when it comes to driving, people often think they can “outwit” drowsiness, but they can’t. “People will turn on their music, air conditioner or open their car windows, but research has found that while subjectively people may feel more alert, objectively they don’t,” she added.
Likewise, EDS can harm your health. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, sleep is critical to the health of all body systems, and insufficient sleep increases the risk of diabetes, obesity, mental health disorders, weakened immune systems, and hormonal abnormalities. EDS is also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death, according to a December 2023 study. Journal of the American Heart Association4.
Diagnosis and treatment of EDS
If you think you’re dealing with EDS, Dr. Morse recommends keeping a symptom diary to record not only when and how long you sleep, but also any other accompanying symptoms. This information can help your doctor and sleep specialist determine the underlying cause of EDS.
“Sleep and wakefulness are closely related,” Dr. Morse said. “General medicine often doesn’t think about sleep, and sleep medicine often doesn’t think about sleep when you’re awake. But the two are interconnected, and we need to understand your symptoms to understand the effects on you while you’re awake and to help us understand what’s going on. situation.
In addition to a sleep and symptom history, doctors will use medical and medication history and, if appropriate, sleep testing to help determine the cause of EDS, Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer said. How you treat EDS will depend on its cause, Dr. Morse said.
“Depending on the condition causing EDS, treatment may include lifestyle changes, medications or possibly devices,” such as a CPAP machine used to treat sleep apnea, Morse said. “It’s really a unique treatment for each person.”
When to Seek EDS Assistance
Because the condition that causes EDS can take some time to diagnose and require a visit to a specialist, don’t delay getting help, Dr. Morse says. Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer recommends talking to your doctor if you have EDS three or more days a week for at least three months.
“If a person experiences sleepiness chronically or intermittently, this is a call to action. Talk to your doctor,” Dr. Morse says. “It’s important not to normalize sleepiness. It’s not normal, it’s just common.
The bottom line, Dr. Morse says, is not to think of EDS as a disease that can cure itself. While maintaining a consistent sleep routine can help relieve occasional fatigue, you may need more formal treatment for conditions such as EDS (or narcolepsy). “Don’t try to do it yourself,” she said. “If left untreated, EDS can have immediate and long-term effects. See your doctor so you can get to the root cause and find treatments that can give you acute and chronic relief.
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- Gandhi, Kriti D., et al. “Excessive daytime sleepiness.” Mayo Clinic Litigation Records,roll. 96, no. 5, May 2021, pp. 1288–1301, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.08.033.
- Bollu, Pradeep C et al. “Insomnia.” missouri medicine roll. 115,1(2018):85-91.
- Pierre Philippe, Excessive daytime sleepiness versus sleepiness while driving, Need to differentiate between global and situational sleepiness to better predict sleep-related accidents, sleepVolume 46, Issue 11, November 2023, zsad231, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsad231
- Goodman, Matthew O., et al. “Causal associations between subtypes of excessive daytime sleepiness and risk of cardiovascular disease.” Journal of the American Heart Association,roll. 12. No. December 24, December 19, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.122.030568.
