Between episodes, people can go for weeks or months with no symptoms. The condition often improves with age, but sometimes comes back when a person gets older. The cause of Kleine-Levin syndrome is unknown. The conditions that cause primary hypersomnia, including narcolepsy, are fairly rare. In many cases, excessive daytime sleepiness is the result of something else.
Learn more about the potential causes of excessive sleepiness. They may also ask someone to keep a sleep diary for several days, so that they can get a better sense of how much a person sleeps, whether it is refreshing or not, and how this impacts their life.
Doctors also need to rule out other potential causes for the tiredness. They may look at any prescription or recreational drugs a person takes and order medical tests. If there is no clear cause, they can refer someone to a sleep laboratory. A polysomnogram PSG records muscle and brain activity, eye movement, and breathing during sleep.
It can also detect other causes for daytime sleepiness, such as sleep apnea. A multiple sleep latency test looks at daytime sleepiness. The day after a PSG, a person must take five short naps, each separated by 2 hours.
On average, falling asleep in 8 minutes or less is an indication of excessive daytime sleepiness. For narcolepsy testing, in some cases, a doctor may also measure the level of hypocretin in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. But because low hypocretin levels are not characteristic of type 2 narcolepsy, it is not always useful. The treatment for hypersomnia depends on the cause. For hypersomnia caused by narcolepsy, doctors may prescribe medications to help prevent daytime sleep attacks.
This may include :. Currently, it is the only drug officially approved for the condition. But because the treatments for narcolepsy can also help with IH, many doctors prescribe them for off-label use. People with primary hypersomnia can also seek additional support in the workplace, at home, and for their mental health. This may include:. It is also important for people with hypersomnia to take safety precautions.
This may mean avoiding certain activities when feeling sleepy, such as driving, walking up or down stairs, or operating machinery. Hypersomnia refers to excessive daytime sleepiness.
In people with narcolepsy, this manifests as short, sudden sleep attacks, which cause an overwhelming urge to sleep during daily activities. People with narcolepsy can also experience cataplexy, sleep paralysis, vivid dreams, and hallucinations.
Other causes for hypersomnia include IH, Kleine-Levin syndrome, certain medications, and other medical conditions that indirectly affect sleep. Only a doctor or sleep specialist can diagnose the cause. Excessive sleepiness has a significant impact on quality of life, but treatments and strategies can help minimize the symptoms.
If someone is experiencing persistent sleepiness during the day, and getting enough sleep does not help, they should speak with a medical professional. The Sponsor does not control, review or moderate any other areas in HealthShare.
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