The causes of excessive daytime sleepiness can often be treated to help the patient feel more awake during the day.
Where EDS Comes From
Those who have excessive daytime sleepiness don’t just feel tired – they feel exhausted. They’re so tired that they can not keep their eyes open, even when it’s important to do. When they’re driving and when they’re moving, they feel an overwhelming urge to go to sleep, which can disrupt their life and put them in harm’s way. In order to treat EDS, it’s best to learn the causes first in order to rule out possible treatments.
The common causes of excessive daytime sleepiness include:
- Certain medications.
- Not enough sleep or less than restful sleep.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Drug abuse.
- Alcohol abuse.
- Cancer.
- Trauma.
- Hypothyroidism.
- Another sleep disorder – i.e. sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, etc.
- Jet leg.
- Stress.
- Anemia.
- Kidney problems.
- Central nervous system disruption.
For most people, EDS is simply something which occurs when their life is less than manageable. They simply aren’t getting enough sleep to help keep them energized during the day. To combat this, they need to learn to manage excessive daytime sleepiness when it occurs, but they also need to learn what they need to do to prevent it.
For those who uncover more medical causes, treatments for EDS are available, including medications.