Posted 3/14/2010 10:15 PM (GMT 0)
Wikipedia-Hypersomnia is a disorder characterized by excessive amounts of sleepiness. Those who suffer from hypersomnia have recurring episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) which is different from feeling tired due to lack of or interrupted sleep at night. They are compelled to nap repeatedly during the day, often at inappropriate times such as at work, during a meal, or in conversation. These daytime naps usually provide no relief from symptoms.
Patients with hypersomnia also often experience prolonged sleep at night and have difficulty waking from long sleep, feeling disoriented upon doing so. Other symptoms may include anxiety, increased irritation, decreased energy, restlessness, slow thinking, slow speech, loss of appetite, hallucinations, and memory difficulty. Some patients lose the ability to function in family, social, occupational or other settings. (...) Typically, hypersomnia is first recognized in adolescence or young adulthood. These symptoms are present in both types of hypersomnia. A sufferer from primary hypersomnia displays these symptoms continually for months or even years. Recurrent hypersomnia is characterized by recurring periods of symptoms many times throughout the year mixed with periods of normal sleep-wake cycles. Kleine-Levin syndrome is the most well-known form of recurrent hypersomnia, though it is very rare, these people often sleep up to eighteen hours a day and yet do not feel refreshed upon waking.