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Sleep Disorders Community
This patient support community is for discussions relating to apnea, children’s sleep issues, jet lag, insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome (RLS) and snoring.
Extreme sleepiness? Please help me!
by claireb_, Jul 24, 2008 12:49AM
Hi, I have a question that I really need answered.
I'm 16 years old and I am always tired. I get a normal 7 hours of sleep each night, but, at school I fall asleep in the middle of class. I sometimes even fall asleep during tests, but keep writing just scribbles. I do not want to fall asleep at school, I want to be able to stay awake and take normal notes (instead of nosensical scribbles)
Anyways, right before I fall asleep my pulse usually quickens and I get desperate for some sort of sleep. My eyes start unfocusing and my head bobs up and down. These episodes usually last about 10 minutes to even half an hour. However, it seems at some random moment I'm fully awake again and fine. It usually takes some sort of stimulation to get me to wake up (ie. walking to sharpen my pencil, eating something) The weird thing is I'm never tired before the episode. I'm always fully awake and happy, and then something triggers it. I don't know what.
After school I take a 2-4 hour nap, which really hinders my ability to do the needed homework I was assigned.
I do take prozac, and have tried going off of it, but nothing really happens. I'm not overweight and I eat relativley healthy! I have talked to my doctors. I've had blood work done testing my thyroid (my dad has problems with his). We are going to go and get further tests done. I'm just starting to feel hopeless.
Does anyone else have this problem? Please help me, I'm going into my junior year and I really want to be able to stay awake during my classes.
I'm 16 years old and I am always tired. I get a normal 7 hours of sleep each night, but, at school I fall asleep in the middle of class. I sometimes even fall asleep during tests, but keep writing just scribbles. I do not want to fall asleep at school, I want to be able to stay awake and take normal notes (instead of nosensical scribbles)
Anyways, right before I fall asleep my pulse usually quickens and I get desperate for some sort of sleep. My eyes start unfocusing and my head bobs up and down. These episodes usually last about 10 minutes to even half an hour. However, it seems at some random moment I'm fully awake again and fine. It usually takes some sort of stimulation to get me to wake up (ie. walking to sharpen my pencil, eating something) The weird thing is I'm never tired before the episode. I'm always fully awake and happy, and then something triggers it. I don't know what.
After school I take a 2-4 hour nap, which really hinders my ability to do the needed homework I was assigned.
I do take prozac, and have tried going off of it, but nothing really happens. I'm not overweight and I eat relativley healthy! I have talked to my doctors. I've had blood work done testing my thyroid (my dad has problems with his). We are going to go and get further tests done. I'm just starting to feel hopeless.
Does anyone else have this problem? Please help me, I'm going into my junior year and I really want to be able to stay awake during my classes.
Member Comments (1)
by KatEyes, Jul 24, 2008 04:43PM
To: claireb_
First of all, 7 hours doesn't meet the recommended at least 9 hours for teens, so that could be part of the problem. Most can't do that at one stretch so they supplement with naps and sleeping extra on the weekends. If you could for a while arrange to get consistently that 9 hours, then if you are still falling asleep during the daytime, be evaluated by a sleep specialist for any possible sleep disorders.
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