If you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness, you are probably accustomed to people making assumptions about your inability to stay awake during the day. They may assume you are staying up too late at night, or that you have a drug or alcohol problem. But you may know differently. Excessive daytime sleepiness is not always the result of staying awake at night to watch television or drinking too much the night before. There are a variety of less common causes that contribute to daytime sleepiness.

If you don’t know exactly what’s causing your excessive daytime sleepiness symptoms, it’s very important that you consult with a doctor on this issue. If you’re getting a solid night’s sleep every night, not drinking or indulging in recreational drugs, and know that your excessive daytime sleepiness is not the result of a prescription drug side effect, it’s important to identify the cause. Excessive daytime sleepiness can be a result of any number of more serious health problems that may need your and your doctor’s immediate attention.

And excessive daytime sleepiness itself can have serious consequences, so the cause needs to be addressed for that reason alone.

Clinical depression can be one cause of excessive daytime sleepiness. Many people are not fully aware that clinical depression can and does manifest with physical symptoms. But it does, and the uncontrollable compulsion to sleep at inappropriate times is one of the symptoms that may present themselves.

Anemia, or low levels of iron in the blood, can also result in excessive daytime sleepiness, as can other nutritional deficiencies.

Hormonal imbalances, blood glucose irregularities, and even growths and tumors can contribute to excessive daytime sleepiness as a symptom under certain conditions. All of these issues require medical attention and it is vital that you undergo a physical in order to find out what’s causing your EDS.

Excessive daytime sleepiness is the name of a condition which affects millions. It is the chronic, repeated compulsion to sleep during the day at inappropriate times. Sufferers may doze of at work, while driving, or in the middle of a meal or conversation, falling asleep in midsentence–or while running a red light.

If you find yourself compelled to take naps at the most inappropriate times, and this desire is irresistible–or resisting it impairs your functionality to the point that it mimics intoxication–you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness. This is a serious problem, and not one that should be overlooked. It should be discussed with your doctor as soon as possible because the consequences of ignoring this symptom can be severe, both for your health and your overall well-being and quality of life.

How can dozing off be such a serious issue?

Well, there’s the danger of falling asleep during a time when you may put your life or the lives of others at risk. For those who suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness, this is a real danger. It’s not simply that you feel sleepy; it is that you are so sleepy you give in to the desire to sleep no matter what else is happening. This could be while cooking a meal, leaving a fire to start in your own home. Or while driving a vehicle, or operating other heavy machinery. Falling asleep while supervising children can also lead to terrible consequences.

There are also effects on your life and relationships. Excessive daytime sleepiness could result in being fired from your job, if you are caught sleeping at work, or because of carelessness that results from your excessive sleepiness. It can also damage relationships, as your loved ones may feel you are ignoring them or that they aren’t important to you.

Do you find yourself battling sleepiness after your lunch? Or perhaps it’s during your drive home from work–you find yourself nodding at stop lights. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) can be more than an inconvenience, it can be dangerous. And it can also be indicative of a more serious health problem.

Occasional sleepiness during the day is normal, something that everyone experiences at some time or another. But for some people, it is a chronic and serious problem, one that interferes with their ability to function and can take a toll on their quality of life. For these people, the need to sleep at inappropriate times is so strong that they might fall asleep during a conversation or meal, while driving, or during any other task.

The compulsion to sleep may at first be mild, but the longer they resist it the stronger it gets. Involuntarily falling asleep–or being so incapacitated by sleepiness that they appear drunk–becomes common.

There are many different causes associated with the symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness. Many of them relate to more serious health problems. The root cause could be as simple as insufficient nighttime sleep, although insomnia itself is not simple and may pose a challenge to cure. Other types of sleep disorders, like sleep apnea, can also contribute to excessive daytime sleepiness. And then there are other physical and mental health problems that can result in daytime sleepiness, like hormonal imbalances, anemia, nutritional problems, and clinical depression.

If you aren’t aware of a nighttime sleep disorder that is causing your excessive daytime sleepiness, it can be especially frightening. But excessive daytime sleepiness is a real symptom, a serious one, and you should seek help from your doctor to combat it. It can cause unforeseen consequences and even damage relationships when left unchecked; don’t wait to seek treatment.