i can stay awake when reading or concentrating

i am a 19yo 2nd year law student and have a a tiredness problem which probably ranges back to secondary school but which got worse in sixthform and even more so in university

The problem is when ever i tried to read, or sit in a lecture or even watch a film i just fall asleep or get so tired, if i got up off the chair i could go and do 2hours ecercise and be fine, i could browse facebook and not be tired i can do anything else but when it comes to reading i just can stay awake, i yawn and my eyes go a bit wattery sometimes,

When i go to lectures i sit there and then i just get so tired i concentrate so hard on trying to stay awake but it just distracts me from the lecture even more

ive been to the doctors and they have run blood tests and say im fine, i had an eyetest and that was fine, i really dont know what to do and its starting to affect my work preety bad

can anybody help?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

You seem to be having hypersomnia.

Hypersomnia refers to a set of related disorders that involve excessive daytime sleepiness esp during studying or reading and even driving.

Causes may be excess intake of caffeine,alcohol intake, sleep-wake cycle disorder like in night shifts, obstructive sleep apnea,shift duties,disorders of the hypothalamus,nervous system disorders like brain tumors, Circadian rhythm sleep disorders,psychiatric disorders like depression and schizophrenia,diabetes,obesity,restless leg syndrome,use of drugs or alcohol and narcolepsy(Abnormal sleep disorder leading to excessive daytime drowsiness) and  some medications.

I feel that you should consult a sleep specialist and get polysomnograms(sleep study) done to find a confirmatory diagnosis.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep us posted on how you are doing.