The feeling of facing uninterrupted sleep can be a symptom of a disease, or the logical consequence of not resting well during periods of relaxation.
These are situations where the need to sleep occurs outside of the hours reserved for this activity, and the sleep time exceeds 8 hours per day.
- This should not be confused with tiredness or apathy.
- Which are usually caused by lack of physical and mental occupation.
- On the other hand.
- The need to sleep at any time can be motivated by depression.
- Or by a very stressful stage.
Excess sleep can be caused by many diseases related to this fundamental aspect of our health. They are also called sleep disorders and include hypersomnia, narcolepsy and Kleine-Levin syndrome, also called Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.
Hypersomnia is subdivided into different types, but all refer to excessive sleep during the day. Hypersomnia does not impede nighttime sleep, so the sick sleep without major problems at night.
The sleep they experience usually appears in monotonous situations, where the stimulation is less than a certain limit; examples of such situations may be conferences, work meetings or cinema.
At no time is this daytime sleep refreshing, so patients are frustrated during their routine due to the constant feeling of sleep that prevents them from feeling really rested.
One type of hypersomnia, chronic hypersomnia, is related to Kleine-Levin syndrome, which is not very common and mainly affects men.
Episodes of extreme sleep in this disease occur 1 to 10 times a year, and their duration varies between days and weeks, these people can sleep 16 to 18 hours.
Patients with narcolepsy move incredibly quickly from the alert phase to the REM phase, so they suffer “sleep crisis” in unexpected situations.
These naps last a few hours and, although their effect is restorative, the need to sleep reappears after 2-3 hours, a very dangerous need because they can fall asleep while walking or driving a vehicle.
Once the irregular need for sleep is detected, the first step is to consult a specialist in the topic, in addition, maintaining good habits related to rest will always be beneficial, w or not we have a sleep disorder.
Here are some tips we can follow
Remember that our sleep patterns can change due to different environmental circumstances; it is not necessarily an indicator of disease. The way we sleep changes constantly with age, habits or our relationship with the environment.
Therefore, in case of suspicion or concern, it is necessary to consult a specialist and apply the aforementioned strategies (solving the problem or not, can help us to rest better).