Drowsiness Overview
Feeling abnormally sleepy or tired or being unable to keep your eyes open during the day is commonly known as drowsiness. Drowsiness may lead to additional symptoms, such as forgetfulness or falling asleep at inappropriate times.
Drowsiness, also called excess sleepiness, can be accompanied by lethargy, weakness, and lack of mental agility. While most people feel drowsy at some point or another, persistent sleepiness or fatigue, especially at inappropriate times, can indicate a sleep disorder or other medical problem.
Sleep-wake disorders are a common cause of drowsiness. These include a number of conditions, of which sleep apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy are the most well known. Sleep apnea is a condition in which you stop breathing in the middle of the night, often several times a night. The deprivation of oxygen, as well as the constant sleep disruption, leads to constant daytime sleepiness, lethargy, and fatigue. It is also associated with more-serious conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Narcolepsy is a condition characterized by daytime sleep attacks, and insomnia is the perception that you are not getting enough sleep or that the sleep you are getting is inadequate.
Circadian rhythm sleep disorder occurs frequently in shift workers with fluctuating schedules and the resultant drowsiness can seriously impact family life, job performance and workplace safety.
Depression, stress and grief are also associated with compromised sleep. Treating or minimizing these conditions can greatly improve the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Certain medications are known to cause sleepiness. These include sedatives and tranquilizers, pain medications, and allergy medications, such as antihistamines.
A sudden onset of drowsiness can indicate a life-threatening condition, especially if it is related to a head injury, exposure to extreme cold, or a medication overdose.
Causes of Drowsiness
A variety of things may cause drowsiness. These can range from mental states and lifestyle choices to serious medical conditions.
Sleep disorders are a common cause of drowsiness. These include sleep apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy. Sleep apnea is a condition in which you stop breathing in the middle of the night, often several times a night. The deprivation of oxygen, as well as the constant sleep disruption, leads to constant daytime sleepiness, lethargy, and fatigue. It is also associated with more-serious conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Certain medications are known to cause sleepiness. These include sedatives and tranquilizers, pain medications, and antiallergy medications, such as antihistamines.
Following are some of the situations and conditions that affect sleep, which can cause drowsiness can result in drowsiness:
- Depression
- Grief
- Irregular work schedule such as shift work (circadian rhythm sleep disorder)
- Stress
- Travel across time zones (jetlag)
Sleep Disorders that Cause Drowsiness
Drowsiness may be caused by sleep disorders including the following:
- Insomnia (insufficient or poor quality sleep)
- Narcolepsy (sleep disorder characterized by daytime sleep attacks)
- Sleep apnea (disorder characterized by the interruption of breathing while asleep)
Medications that Cause Drowsiness
Drowsiness can also be caused by different types of medications including the following:
- Anticonvulsants (used to treat epilepsy and seizures)
- Antidepressants
- Antiemetics (used to treat nausea)
- Antihistamines or other allergy medications
- Sedatives or tranquilizers
Serious or Life-threatening Causes of Drowsiness
In some cases, drowsiness may be a symptom of a serious or life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. These include:
- Concussion or head trauma
- Hypernatremia (excessive levels of sodium)
- Hyponatremia (low levels of sodium)
- Hypothermia
- Medication overdose
Signs and Symptoms of Drowsiness
Drowsiness may accompany other symptoms, which vary depending on the underlying disease, disorder or condition.
Drowsiness may accompany other related symptoms including:
- Changes in mood, personality or behavior
- Difficulty with memory, thinking, talking, comprehension, writing or reading
- Fatigue
- Low energy
- Malaise or lethargy
Other Symptoms that may occur along with Drowsiness
Drowsiness may accompany symptoms related to other body systems including:
Serious Symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition
In some cases, drowsiness may be a symptom of a life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. Following are some of the life-threatening symptoms of drowsiness:
- Change in consciousness or alertness such as passing out or unresponsiveness
- Change in mental status or sudden behavior change such as confusion, delirium, lethargy, hallucinations or delusions
- Convulsions or seizures
- Having a stiff neck
- Inability to get warm
- Severe drowsiness
- Severe headache
Prevention of Drowsiness
A regular amount of sleep each night can often prevent drowsiness. Most adults require about eight hours of sleep to feel fully refreshed. Some people may need more, especially those with medical conditions or a particularly active lifestyle.
Other factors you experience such as any changes in your mood, signs of depression, or uncontrollable feelings of stress and anxiety can also cause drowsiness.
Drowsiness goes away naturally as your body becomes used to a new schedule or as you become less stressed, depressed, or anxious.
However, if the drowsiness is due to a medical problem or sleep disorder, it’s unlikely to get better on its own. In fact, the drowsiness is likely to worsen without proper treatment.
Some people manage to live with drowsiness. However, it may limit your ability to work, drive, and operate machinery safely.
Treatment of Drowsiness
Treatment of drowsiness depends on its cause.
Self-Treatment
Some drowsiness can be treated at home, especially if it’s the result of lifestyle factors, such as working longer hours, or a mental state, such as stress.
In these cases, it may help to get plenty of rest and distract yourself. It’s also important to investigate what’s causing the problem, like if it’s stress stress or anxiety and take steps to reduce the feeling.
Medical Care
Your doctor will try to identify the cause of your drowsiness by discussing the symptom with you. They may ask you about how well you sleep and whether you wake up frequently in the night.
Your healthcare provider will ask the following questions:
- Amount of sleep you get
- Sleeping habits
- How often you fall asleep during the day
- How often you feel drowsy during the day
- If you snore
Your doctor may ask you to keep a diary of your sleeping habits for a few days, documenting how long you sleep at night and what you’re doing when you feel drowsy during the day.
They may also ask for specific details, such as if you actually fall asleep during the day and whether you wake up feeling refreshed. If the doctor suspects that the cause is psychological, they may refer you to a counselor or therapist to help you find a solution.
Drowsiness that’s a side effect of medication is often curable. Your doctor may swap the medication for a different type or change your dosage until the drowsiness subsides. Never change your dosage or stop a prescription medication without first talking to your doctor.
If no cause for your drowsiness is apparent, you may need to undergo some of the following diagnostic tests:
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Urine tests
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- CT Scan of the head
If your doctor suspects that you may have obstructive sleep apnea, RLS, or another sleep disorder, they may schedule a sleep study test. For this test, you’ll spend the night in the hospital or a sleep center under the observation and care of a sleep specialist.
Your blood pressure, heart rate, heart rhythm, breathing, oxygenation, brain waves, and certain body movements will be monitored throughout the night for any signs of a sleep disorder.
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