Hypersomnia

I can sleep anywhere from 20+ hours a day. I have a hard time waking up. When I do wake up I want to go back to bed an hour or so later. I am treated for depression, and I do not feel depressed.
When I wake up I cannot focus properly, and feel like I am in a haze. I was having horrible problems trying to stay focused at work. I am not working right now so I am really fighting to stay awake. I fall asleep instantly. I can sleep anytime, anywhere, yet I am always still tired. When I try to wake up I feel as though I can't.
It seems to be getting worse and worse.
I am sore and achy and have a hard time getting my musles to want to work.
I know this isn't the depression. It is far too bad to be the depression and I do not feel depressed.
Does this sound like narcolepsy?

[KatEyes]

Narcolepsy? Could be. Part of the process in making that determination is assessing for any other sleep disorders that could be causing the excessive sleepiness. Anything that interferes with the proper proportion and cycles of sleep stages can result in sleep that is not restful or restorative. Some medicines can be the culprit. A couple common sleep disorders are sleep apnea and limb movement disorders. An overnight study in a sleep lab is the first step in finding answers. More tests may follow, depending on what they see initially.

[scarlet37]

Kat said it well. Without any testing it's hard to know exactly what it is. Daytime sleepiness can be from almost any sleep disorder or others such as hypothyroidism and anemia.


Narcolepsy is a tough disorder to live with and I don't wish it on anyone- but if you're having severe issues of staying alert please see a doctor as soon as you can.

[BonnieHK]

I completely understand how you feel.  I also can easily sleep 15 hours a day.  They have been testing me at Kaiser and I am anti-depressives, and many other drugs.  I think it could be the interaction of all these drugs, or sleep apnea, or lack of vitamin D and B12.  One blood test showed I was low in those.  I have a funny feeling it is the apnea because my husband tells me I really snore when I sleep.  I never feel rested and am not having a quality life.  Does anyone else sleep this much?

[trixsix]

I know this thread is old but I thought I'd jump in anyway.  I have suffered from hyper-somnia my entire life ( I remember crying my eyes out because I got switched to morning kindergarten!)  I can easily sleep 16+ hours.  I too am treated for depression -- I take 40mg of Lexapro.  I tried ProVigil years ago (sounds like they have a new one now) but it didn't do anything to wake me up and it gave me a crushing headache.  I also tried Adderall (adderrall) but it makes me really uncomfortable -- not only speedy (I could probably control that by taking a smaller dose) but it actually throws my allergies in super overdrive and it's unbearable.  I got a little to friendly with the painkillers after a surgery this year because they were the only thing that woke me up and made me feel like I think a normal person does.  What's the latest on treatment for hyper-somnia?