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Drowsiness
Sleepiness - during the day; Hypersomnia; Somnolence
Drowsiness refers to feeling abnormally sleepy during the day. People who are drowsy may fall asleep in inappropriate situations or at inappropriate times.
Considerations
Excessive daytime sleepiness (without a known cause) may be a sign of a sleep disorder.
Depression , anxiety , stress , and boredom can all contribute to excessive sleepiness. But these conditions more often cause fatigue and apathy .
Depression
Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for shor...
Anxiety
Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stres...
Stress
Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stres...
Apathy
Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.
Causes
Drowsiness may be due to the following:
- Long-term (chronic) pain
- Diabetes
- Having to work long hours or different shifts (nights, weekends)
-
Long-term
insomnia
and other problems falling or staying asleep
Insomnia
Insomnia is trouble falling asleep, staying asleep through the night, or waking up too early in the morning. Episodes of insomnia may come and go or ...
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Changes in blood sodium levels (
hyponatremia
/hypernatremia)
Hyponatremia
Low sodium level is a condition in which the amount of sodium (salt) in the blood is lower than normal. The medical name of this condition is hypona...
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- Not sleeping long enough
-
Sleep disorders (such as
sleep apnea
and
narcolepsy
)
Sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a problem in which your breathing pauses during sleep. This occurs because of narrowed or blocked airways.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleNarcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a nervous system problem that causes extreme sleepiness and attacks of daytime sleep.
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Too much calcium in your blood (
hypercalcemia
)
Hypercalcemia
Hypercalcemia means you have too much calcium in your blood.
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Underactive thyroid (
hypothyroidism
)
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone. This condition is often called underactive thyroid....
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Home Care
You can relieve drowsiness by treating the cause of the problem. First, determine whether your drowsiness is due to depression, anxiety, boredom, or stress. If you are not sure, talk with your health care provider.
For drowsiness due to medicines, talk to your provider about switching or stopping your medicines. But, DO NOT stop taking or change your medicine without first talking to your provider.
What to Expect at Your Office Visit
Your provider will examine you to determine the cause of your drowsiness. You will be asked about your sleep patterns and health. Questions may include:
- How well do you sleep?
- How much do you sleep?
- Do you snore?
- Do you fall asleep during the day when you do not plan to nap (such as when watching TV or reading)? If so, do you awake feeling refreshed? How often does this happen?
- Are you depressed, anxious, stressed, or bored?
- What medicines do you take?
- What have you done to try to relieve the drowsiness? How well did it work?
- What other symptoms do you have?
Tests that may be done include:
-
Blood tests (such as a
CBC
and
blood differential
, blood sugar level, electrolytes, and thyroid hormone levels)
CBC
A complete blood count (CBC) test measures the following:The number of red blood cells (RBC count)The number of white blood cells (WBC count)The tota...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleBlood differential
The blood differential test measures the percentage of each type of white blood cell (WBC) that you have in your blood. It also reveals if there are...
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CT scan of the head
CT scan of the head
A head computed tomography (CT) scan uses many x-rays to create pictures of the head, including the skull, brain, eye sockets, and sinuses.
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Electroencephalogram
(EEG)
Electroencephalogram
An electroencephalogram is a test to measure the electrical activity of the brain.
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Sleep studies
Sleep studies
Polysomnography is a sleep study. This test records certain body functions as you sleep, or try to sleep. Polysomnography is used to diagnose sleep...
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Urine tests (such as a
urinalysis
)
Urinalysis
Urinalysis is the physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine. It involves a number of tests to detect and measure various compounds th...
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Treatment depends on the cause of your drowsiness.
References
Chokroverty S, Avidan AY. Sleep and its disorders. In: Daroff RB, Fenichel GM, Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, eds. Bradley's Neurology in Clinical Practice . 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2012:chap 68.
Hirshkowitz M, Sarwar A, Sharafkhaneh A. Evaluating sleepiness. In: Kryger MH, Roth T, Dement WC, eds. Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine . 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2011:chap 143.
Review Date: 8/29/2015
Reviewed By: Laura J. Martin, MD, MPH, ABIM Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
