When people hear of sleep disorders, they usually think of insomnia.
Insomnia is when a person has a chronic problem falling asleep and/or staying asleep throughout the night. Many people with insomnia do not feel refreshed, even after a full night's sleep.
Hypersomnia is when a person oversleeps. You can sleep 9 or 10 hours at night, and still not feel rested. It is common to need naps during the day.
Two of the common causes of hypersomnia are narcolepsy and sleep apnea. There is also primary hypersomnia. This is excessive sleepiness not caused by any other disorder. This is caused by the central nervous system, or is believed to be so.
*Symptoms of Hypersomnia:
~Long sleep periods
~Excessive sleepiness or excessively deep sleep
~The onset is insidious (gradual, so you are not aware of it at first)
~Typically appears before age 25
~Has been present for at least six months
I happen to have hypersomnia. I occasionally suffer from insomnia, but for the past 5 years or so, hypersomnia has been a big (and horrible) part of my life.
My doctor has been treating me with medications for my depression, thinking the fatigue was depression-related. But now he believes that although I do have severe depression, that is not the cause of my fatigue. I can even be very tired when manic!
Sleep is a big part of my life. I think it has become too important. I try to schedule my day around my sleep. It is embarrassing and not exactly easy to do when I have four children to look after, and housework needs to be done.
I did not work outside my home for about 8 years. I was worried I would fall asleep at work. I now work, and it can get pretty boring, causing me to fall asleep. I have co-workers who alert me as soon as I begin to doze off. It is pretty embarrassing to fall asleep in front of people because I snore very loudly. I can go visit a friend and fall asleep talking to them, on the couch. Most of my friends laugh about it and makes jokes. "Oh you sound like a growling bear when you go to sleep", etc. It is not funny though and it embarrasses me to talk about it. I have worked evening and night shifts for over a year now. I think these shifts create more problems with my sleep habits. I worked a day shift for the first 6 months I was at this job, but now I am unable to acquire one. Working nights or evenings when one has a sleep disorder is definitely not healthy, but I need to work, my job pays well, and I get to sit down my entire shift. (I do technical support).
People do not try and understand this "problem" I have. They say I need to eat healthier, exercise more, go to bed at a decent time every night. I do all of those things and more. Yet some days I wake at 8 am and need to go back to sleep by 10.
