Some people cannot sleep lying down. They spin, turn, but they cannot take the necessary position in order to fall asleep. But as soon as they sit down in a chair with a book or in bed, sleep immediately sets in. In the current position, people get enough sleep. So why do people sometimes sleep sitting up?
If a person has some kind of unpleasant association of falling asleep lying down or he experienced a strong fright while falling asleep in bed, then in this position he begins to experience stress, adrenaline is released into the blood and he cannot fall asleep.
Man sleeps while sitting due to heart problems
People who have heart disease are forced to sleep while sitting. In a horizontal position, blood flow to the heart increases, the heart cannot cope, and the blood remains in the lungs. Therefore, a person instinctively takes a position that makes it easier for him to fall asleep and sleep, in this case - semi-vertical. As the disease progresses, the patient needs more and more pillows.
What to do?
Contact a cardiologist and do an ECG and ultrasound of the heart.
Man sleeps while sitting due to stomach problems
Sometimes a person sleeps while sitting if he has a pathological condition of the stomach. Half-sitting sleep people who suffer from heartburn. If a person lies down, then reflux occurs, heartburn, the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus.
Most often this occurs with a hernia of the esophagus. If the hole in the diaphragm through which the esophagus enters is too large, then a hernia occurs. At the same time, a person often coughs, because the esophagus is irritated by gastric juice.
What to do?
Make an x-ray of the esophagus.
Man sleeps while sitting because of pain in his head
It happens that a person in a prone position has a headache. This is a worrying symptom. Which says that fluid does not flow from the brain. There are cavities in the brain that are filled with fluid, this fluid constantly flows out.
brain cancer
Sleeping while sitting may be the result of a headache that occurs while lying down.
What to do?
See a doctor and get a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain.
Apnea as a cause of sedentary sleep
There may be another reason, more typical for overweight people - or holding your breath in a dream. Sleep apnea at night happens more often when a person is lying on their back. If the patient is very impressionable, under the influence of stress, he may become afraid to fall asleep lying down.
Sleep sitting in children
The situation in children is slightly different from adults. Why does a child prefer to sleep sitting up? Very often, babies take this position due to night terrors that disrupt the process of falling asleep in bed.
Sedentary sleep effects
When a child or adult sleeps while sitting for a long period of time (more than one month), it can lead to certain consequences:
- An uncomfortable posture leads to squeezing of the spinal arteries that supply blood to the brain. This leads to its ischemia and disrupts night's rest, causing drowsiness and a feeling of weakness after a night's rest.
- Significant pressure on the vertebrae as a result of a long stay in an uncomfortable position can lead to changes in the spinal column and exacerbate a number of diseases, including osteochondrosis.
- Similar effects that occur in older people can cause ischemic stroke.
Among the various signs that warn of the presence of a particular disease, there is such a symptom as daytime sleepiness. The syndrome can be characterized by unpleasant consequences and indicate serious health problems. This phenomenon occurs in many people. However, for some it passes on the next day, while others live with it for years. This condition marks a simple malaise, or drowsiness during the day warns of a serious illness.
So, the chronic course of hypersomnia can not only be considered a feature of the body, but be the result of diseases of the central nervous system and damage to brain cells. When detecting and diagnosing many diseases, such a sign is of particular importance, therefore it is important to prevent the disease in time.
Daytime sleepiness is a warning about serious illnesses
Many people complain that they constantly want to sleep, regardless of the hour period and location. He tends to sleep everywhere and always, in the morning and evening, at the workplace or in the gym.
When drowsiness appears during the day, the reasons for this phenomenon may be different.
- diseases;
- insufficient rest period;
- the use of various means;
- wrong lifestyle.
To normalize well-being, it is necessary to identify an unfavorable source and eliminate it.
Diabetes
This dangerous disease can lead to daytime sleepiness, because due to a change in the balance of the hormone insulin, which is responsible for supplying easily digestible elements into cells, it can cause an increase and decrease in glucose saturation in the circulatory system. As a result of such differences, chronic lethargy and drowsiness at lunch appear.
In addition, damage to the cerebral cortex is possible, the formation of a psycho-organic syndrome, which leads to daytime sleepiness.
Apnea
Often the symptom of hypersomnia can occur due to sleep apnea in older people. There is also a tendency for overweight people. With this disease, when a person rests at night, the respiratory process stops and, due to a lack of oxygen, he wakes up.
The person lets out a snore, then falls silent. After a while, it vibrates again. During these breaks in the attack, the brain undergoes a lack of oxygen, which is the cause of a sleepy state throughout the day. In addition, increased pressure is possible in the morning.
Hypertension
The disease is often formed in people over 40 years old who have bad habits and suffer from overweight and diabetes. Place of residence and hereditary predisposition also play an important role.
The list of symptoms warning about the presence of this disease:
- regular increase in pressure at rest;
- insomnia at night;
- daytime lethargy;
- dizziness;
- nausea.
If this condition develops, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Hypotension
In the case of a regular decrease in pressure, this will lead to a problem with the blood flow of the brain, manifested by:
- weakness;
- drowsiness;
- headaches;
- brokenness.
Therapy of the disease is carried out under the supervision of a therapist. 
Anemia
With an illness, the index of hemoglobin, red blood cells decreases, as a result of which the supply of oxygen by blood to organs and tissues becomes worse. A person's memory worsens, dizziness, lack of strength and energy. Sometimes fainting happens.
Idiopathic hypersomnia
The disease especially appears in young people. Due to the absence of other factors that make you constantly want to sleep during the day, the disease is diagnosed by exclusion.
In this state, the desire to rest during the day is noted. Interested in solving the problem, the patient complains that he is always strongly drawn to rest. It happens that a person tends to sleep during powerless wakefulness. In the evening the patient quickly falls asleep.
When you regularly want to go to bed, regular fatigue develops, then this condition leads to serious problems.
Often, daytime sleepiness can warn of an illness related to the function of the endocrine system. Such a disease is often accompanied by weight gain, changes in stool, hair loss.
Also, the patient may feel chills, fatigue, cold, although it will seem that the body has had enough sleep. If the endocrine glands are upset, you need to contact an endocrinologist.
Sleepiness during the day, as a result of the use of drugs
Almost all medicines affect dreams, disturb them at night (a person cannot sleep), or cause daytime sleepiness. To maintain proper rest, you should choose the time and dosage of the medications you take with your doctor.
First of all, this applies to drugs that provoke asomnia.
- Beta blockers.
- Bronchodilators.
- Corticosteroids.
- Decongestants.
- CNS stimulants.
- Difenin.
- Thyroid hormones.
Since insomnia often accompanies depression, people who have difficulty falling asleep use antidepressants. It is these drugs that occupy an important place influencing the structure of the dream.
Amitriptyline, Sinequan, Trazodone reduce the duration of REM and increase the slow-wave sleep cycle. Medicines cause a feeling of drowsiness that affects activities during the day.
During depression, monoamine oxidase inhibitors are prescribed - Tranylcypromine, Phenelzine, which can cause fragmented, restless rest with frequent waking up. The drugs reduce the duration of REM and lead to lethargy during the day.
Results of stress
Severe fatigue and drowsiness at the initial stage is characterized by high excitability, insomnia as a result of the release of adrenaline and cortisol. If the causes of stress have an impact for a long time, then the adrenal glands are depleted, the production of hormones decreases.
A rapid decline in strength is observed in people who suffer from chronic adrenal insufficiency, rheumatic diseases, with long-term use of glucocorticoids.
Impact of bad habits
Quite often there is intoxication with alcohol. After drinking alcohol comes the stage of excitement. When, with mild intoxication, it passes, the dream stage is indicated. The person is inhibited, he feels heaviness in the head, he wants to go to bed.
During smoking, spasms of blood vessels occur, oxygen is poorly supplied to the cerebral cortex, which leads to inflammation and excitation of the inner lining of blood vessels. Therefore, almost a third of smokers are sleepy and lethargic.
Diseases of the central nervous system, as a result of changes in the functioning of internal organs
If a person does not know how to deal with lack of sleep at home, it is necessary to undergo an examination to exclude or diagnose diseases of the internal organs
Why you want to sleep during the day, but not at night, you can’t cheer up in any way, although a sufficient amount of time has been spent in bed. Such disorders may be associated with the quality and quantity of a night's sleep, determined by the following symptoms:
- constant awakenings appear, it is difficult for a person to fall asleep later;
- daytime sleepiness leads to frequent bouts of unintentional rest at any time;
- strong snoring;
- headache;
- inability to move the body after waking up (Parkinson's disease);
- other.
These signs indicate a violation of the dream phases.
In men, daytime sleepiness is often associated with apnea (heavy eating in the evening, drinking alcohol, smoking, overweight). Older people want to sleep in the middle of the day due to reduced REM sleep, the need for bed comfort. Tiredness after dinner indicates excessive coffee consumption in the morning.
Sleepiness in children
Daytime sleepiness in children is more common than in adults. This is due to the greater instability of the central nervous system, high sensitivity to the influence of adverse factors. Therefore, a lethargic and sleepy state with infectious ailments occurs early and brightly, and can be the first symptoms of a disease that warns of danger.
In addition, if fatigue and drowsiness suddenly appeared, head injury and intoxication should be excluded. When a child's problem of drowsiness is not very pronounced, but has a chronic course, then we can assume such diseases:
- leukemia;
- tuberculosis;
- heart defects;
- hepatitis;
- diabetes.
The list of diseases that occur in children with drowsiness is long, so it is better to get an examination.
Diagnostics and therapeutic measures
Often you can get rid of drowsiness, not complicated by illness, simply by changing your habits. It is worth paying attention to lifestyle. If factors such as physical activity before bedtime, anxiety, stress, nicotine, alcohol are absent, but the problem does not go away, then you need to contact a therapist.
You will need to be examined for obvious sleep disorders, conditions and diseases that lead to excessive sleepiness. Based on the survey and analyzes, the specialist will recommend passing:
- cardiologist;
- neurologist;
- somnologist;
- endocrinologist.
A common method for studying sleepiness is polysomnography, which measures brain waves, captures body movement, breathing during rest, and the stage and cause of interruption of sleep at night.
For the treatment of drowsiness, stimulants Amphetamine, Modafinil are prescribed, which allow you to stay awake during the day. Homeopathic therapy is used, which tones up the NS and helps in the fight against chronic lethargy - Aurum, Anacardium, Magnesia Carbonica.
Medicine does not stand still. With drowsiness, massage of the ears, the area above the eyebrows, fingers, and the cervical spine will also help. With a deficiency in the body of vitamin B, C, D, fatigue and apathy appear. Therefore, you need to take vitamin complexes.
Of the folk methods to overcome drowsiness, rosehip tea, ginger, Eleutherococcus infusion, warm milk with honey will help. Coping with daytime sleepiness is not easy, but a timely solution to the problem will return you to normal life.
In the modern world, constant lack of sleep has become almost the norm. All of us from time to time experience an irresistible desire to take a nap for an hour or two after a lunch break, or at least 10 minutes to extend the morning sleep. Perhaps there is nothing wrong with this, unless a person has excessive sleepiness, which is observed day after day for no apparent reason. In this case, it is imperative to find out why this condition has arisen, and whether it threatens with dangerous health consequences.
Why there is an increased craving for sleep?
In simple terms, excessive sleepiness is a condition in which a person constantly feels the need to sleep. And this includes not only the excessive duration of night sleep, but also an irresistible desire to fall asleep in the daytime, which is often accompanied by a feeling of lethargy, fatigue and weakness. This phenomenon is also called hypersomnia. Hypersomnia is divided into psychophysiological and pathological. The reasons that can cause one or another type of hypersomnia are completely different.
The causes of the psychophysiological variety of hypersomnia can be called conditionally normal: they are quite understandable and in most cases do not cause concern. As a rule, increased daytime sleepiness occurs in men and women due to a banal nighttime sleep deprivation. In addition, excessive daytime sleepiness can also be caused by chronic fatigue, which appears due to strong and regular physical and psychological stress. Also, a constant desire to sleep may be associated with the forced intake of potent drugs that depress the nervous system (for example, antipsychotics, tranquilizers, analgesics, sedatives and antiallergic drugs).
The physiological need to sleep and severe weakness often occur in pregnant women in the first trimester of the prenatal period. Finally, it has been proven that during the autumn and winter periods, the amount of sunlight received is significantly reduced, which often causes lethargy, apathy, a constant feeling of fatigue and an excessive desire to sleep.
Sign of pathology
Pathological causes of drowsiness are very extensive. In this case, a strong need for sleep that occurs in a person even during the day is not so much an independent phenomenon as it warns that some kind of disease is developing in the body. The list of diseases in which increased daytime sleepiness can occur includes the following pathologies:
- infections, including those causing brain diseases (meningitis, encephalitis);
- cerebral hypoxia;
- diseases of the cardiovascular system (ischemic heart disease, heart failure, stroke, vegetative-vascular dystonia, hypotension);
- deviations in the work of internal organs (liver cirrhosis, renal failure);
- mental disorders (schizophrenia, neurasthenia, depression);
- diseases of the nervous system (narcolepsy and cataplexy);
- head injuries and brain hematomas;
- intoxication of the body;
- endocrine disorders (especially often observed in women during menopause);
- apnea.
This is not a complete list of reasons why a person may experience an increased need for sleep. To find out exactly why this happens, only specialists can do it. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will take into account whether the patient has any other signs of certain diseases.
How does oversleeping manifest itself?
To determine the increased need for sleep is possible only with an individual approach. A long-term increase in average daily sleep duration by 20-25% indicates that a person has hypersomnia. Thus, the time of night sleep increases to about 12-14 hours. It was noted that daytime sleepiness occurs more often in women than in men.
Although the signs of such a condition are directly dependent on the cause that caused it, it is still possible to identify some characteristic symptoms. As a rule, excessive daytime sleepiness is accompanied by an almost irresistible desire to take a nap during the day, a decrease in working capacity and a deterioration in concentration. At the same time, the much desired daytime sleep does not bring proper relief, but only enhances the feeling of fatigue and weakness. In addition, when waking up after a night's sleep, a person often has the so-called "sleep intoxication" - a condition in which it is impossible to quickly engage in habitual vigorous activity.
Chronic daytime sleepiness, along with a constant feeling of weakness, fatigue, also accompanied by dizziness and nausea, almost certainly warns that a disease is developing in the body that requires immediate diagnosis and adequate treatment. Thus, the combination of the described symptoms often accompanies the occurrence of such a serious pathology as vegetative-vascular dystonia. With narcolepsy, the desire to fall asleep in general takes a person by surprise at the most inappropriate place or time for this. Therefore, experts advise not to delay the examination if you have been experiencing increased daytime sleepiness for no apparent reason, and be sure to find out why this is happening. Only in this case it will be clear how to get rid of the violation of the rhythm of life.
Diagnosis of increased sleepiness
The primary task of the doctor, to whom the patient suffering from constant weakness and drowsiness turned, is to conduct a complete survey and identify other possible signs of a particular disease. The specialist will definitely take into account whether the patient has any concomitant disease, clarify the daily routine and find out how long the patient has been worried about this condition. The question of the presence of craniocerebral injuries will also be mandatory. In most cases, at the initial examination, it is possible to identify only the alleged causes of the pathological drowsiness, so the specialist directs the patient for further examinations. Computed tomography (CT) of the brain and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the most informative diagnostic methods for such disorders. The patient may also need ultrasound diagnostics of the brain and polysomnography.
Polysomnography is a study carried out during sleep and allows you to identify certain respiratory disorders (for example, sleep apnea). It is advisable to perform a sleep latency test immediately after polysomnography. This test helps determine if a person has narcolepsy or sleep apnea. In addition, the severity of drowsiness is specified using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. By the way, for primary diagnosis, this test can even be carried out independently at home, although this, of course, does not cancel a visit to the doctor.
Often, the patient is recommended to undergo a comprehensive examination, including an examination of narrow specialists - a cardiologist, endocrinologist, neurologist, psychiatrist and others. This will help determine whether frequent daytime sleepiness is associated with the development of any disease. The accuracy of the diagnosis will determine how effective the treatment will be.
How to eliminate the constant tendency to sleep?
Giving tips here on how to get rid of excessive fatigue and a constant desire to take a nap at the most inopportune moment, we will not describe drug treatment. Serious diseases that cause a strong need for sleep should be diagnosed and managed under the close supervision of a qualified specialist. In addition, the treatment in each case is individual and depends on the cause that caused the onset of weakness and constant drowsiness.
If no pathology was detected during the examination, and the sources of the sleepy state are exclusively psychophysiological, then first of all it is necessary to act on the causes of the violation of the vital rhythm. As a rule, non-drug treatment in this case will be aimed at stabilizing the lifestyle and may include the implementation of several simple recommendations:
- Get yourself a healthy and restful night's sleep. At least for a while, it is worth abandoning what can cause increased fatigue, which does not go away even during the day. For example, from a long evening watching a series or household chores that are not so urgent. By the way, it has been proven that regular spending time on gadgets just before a night's rest significantly worsens the quality of sleep.
- Do sport. It can be anything - jogging in the morning, gymnastics, swimming, fitness. Physical exercise allows you to keep the body in good shape and help get rid of excessive drowsiness, lethargy and fatigue.
- Take vitamins and eat right. It is especially important to replenish the deficiency of micro- and macroelements during seasonal periods of beriberi. Often, a constant desire to sleep even during the daytime arises precisely because of this reason. Iron deficiency is especially harmful in this regard, which causes anemia (lack of hemoglobin) and, as a result, an increased feeling of fatigue, weakness and a desire to sleep. Sometimes no additional treatment after a course of vitamins is no longer required.
- Ventilate the room more often. In a stuffy room, the brain begins to experience oxygen starvation, which is why there is a need for sleep. The influx of fresh air will help get rid of lethargy.
- Apply "invigorating" methods. These include washing with cold water and a cup of black coffee. However, the latter should not be abused, because this drink does not belong to the category of useful ones. You can replace it with green tea, which invigorates no worse than caffeine due to the high content of theine.
- If the feeling of fatigue and drowsiness does not leave, if possible, you need to give the body a rest for at least 15-20 minutes. After a short “quiet hour”, performance may well return to its previous level.
When figuring out why you are haunted by a constant desire to take a nap, pay attention to whether you are currently taking any drugs that cause this condition. Read the annotation: it is possible that increased drowsiness is indicated as a side effect in it. In such a situation, you should consult a doctor. Most likely, he will select a different treatment for you. In any case, the desire to sleep should go away on its own after the end of the drug. If this does not happen, then the reason for your sleepy state lies in something else. Women should remember that some time before menstruation and during menstruation, the desire to fall asleep at the most inopportune moment increases, and this is not a sign of a serious illness. In addition, an excessive need to sleep can be one of the early symptoms of pregnancy.
So, the most important thing when you experience an increased feeling of fatigue and a constant desire to sleep is to find out why this is happening to your body. It is possible that the sources of this condition are quite harmless and temporary. But if this state of affairs continues for too long, this is a good reason to contact a specialist.
Sleep is an important physiological process necessary for the functioning of the body. In a dream, all of its functional systems are restored and tissues are pumped with vital energy. It is well known that a person can live much less without sleep than without food.
The normal duration of sleep in an adult is 7-9 hours every day. A person's need for sleep changes with age. Babies sleep constantly - 12-18 hours a day, and this is the norm. Gradually, the duration of sleep decreases until it reaches an adult value. On the other hand, older people also often have an increased need for sleep.
It is also important that a person belongs to the type of representatives of the animal kingdom, for whom night sleep and daytime wakefulness are normal. If a person cannot spend the time necessary for proper rest in a dream every night, then such a syndrome is called insomnia or insomnia. This situation leads to many unpleasant consequences for the body. But the opposite situation brings no less problems - when a person wants to sleep more than the allotted time, including during the daytime, when wakefulness and an active lifestyle are prescribed by nature.
This syndrome can be called differently: hypersomnia, drowsiness or, in common parlance, drowsiness. It has many reasons, and it is very difficult to find among them the right one in each case.
First, let's define more precisely the concept of drowsiness. This is the name of the state when a person is overcome by yawning, heaviness presses on the eyes, his pressure and heart rate decrease, consciousness becomes less sharp, actions become less confident. The secretion of the salivary and lacrimal glands also decreases. At the same time, a person is terribly sleepy, he has a desire to sleep right here and now. Weakness and drowsiness in an adult can be a constant phenomenon, that is, to haunt a person all the time he is awake, or transient, observed only at a certain time.
Why do you always want to sleep?
First of all, it is worth noting that constant drowsiness adversely affects a person’s entire life. He sleeps on the go, cannot fully fulfill his work duties, do household chores, constantly coming into conflict with others because of this. This, in turn, leads to stress and neuroses. In addition, drowsiness can directly pose a danger to a person and others, for example, if he is driving a car.
Causes
It is not always easy to answer the question why a person wants to sleep. The main factors that cause drowsiness can be divided into those caused by the wrong way of life of a person or external causes, and those associated with pathological processes in the human body. In many cases of drowsiness, there are several causes at once.
natural factors
People react differently to natural phenomena. For some, they do not have a noticeable effect, while others are very sensitive to weather changes. If it rains for several days in a row, the pressure is low, then the body of such people react to these circumstances by lowering blood pressure and vitality. As a result, a person may experience drowsiness and weakness on such days, he can fall asleep on the go, but when the weather improves, his usual cheerfulness returns to him. Other people, on the contrary, may react in a similar way to extreme heat and stuffiness.
Also, some people are prone to a syndrome in which a decrease in the length of daylight hours causes the body to secrete the hormones necessary for sleep much earlier than planned. Another reason why a person constantly sleeps in winter is that in winter our body has access to a smaller amount of vitamins obtained from fresh vegetables and fruits, the use of which, as you know, improves metabolism.
Lack of night sleep
Constant lack of sleep is the reason that seems most obvious. And in practice, daytime sleepiness caused by a poor night's sleep is the most common. However, many people tend to ignore it. Even if you think you are getting enough sleep, you may not actually be. And if a person did not sleep well at night, then it is likely that his eyes will be closed during the day.
Night sleep may be incomplete, its phases may be unbalanced, that is, the period of REM sleep prevails over the period of slow sleep, during which the most complete rest occurs. In addition, a person can wake up very often at night, he can be distracted by the noise and stuffiness in the room.
Sleep apnea is a common disorder that often disrupts the quality of sleep at night. With this syndrome, the patient has a lack of oxygen supply to the tissues of the body, as a result of which sleep has an intermittent restless character.
It should also be taken into account that over time a person needs more and more sleep. Consequently, if at the age of twenty a person can sleep six hours a day, and this will be enough to make him feel vigorous, then at thirty the body is no longer so hardy, and it requires a more complete rest.
However, not always daytime sleepiness is a consequence of the inferiority of night sleep or insomnia. Sometimes there is a situation when a person cannot sleep at night, although he sleeps well. This means a general pathological increase in the daily need for sleep in the absence of night sleep disturbances.
Overwork
Our life passes at a frantic pace and is filled with everyday fuss, which we do not even notice. Household chores, shopping, car trips, everyday problems - all this in itself takes away our energy and strength. And if at work you still have to do the most difficult and at the same time the most boring things, sitting for hours in front of the monitor screen and looking at numbers and graphs, then the brain eventually becomes overloaded. And signals that he needs rest. This, in particular, can be expressed in increased drowsiness. By the way, brain overload can be caused not only by visual, but also by auditory stimuli (for example, constant work in a noisy workshop, etc.).
The drowsiness caused by this cause is relatively easy to eliminate - it is enough to take a break, day off or even go on vacation to put the exhausted nerve cells in order.
stress and depression
It is a completely different matter when a person is tormented by some problem that he cannot solve. In this case, at first the person will be full of energy, trying to overcome the life obstacle. But if he fails to do this, then apathy, weakness and fatigue roll over a person, which can be expressed, among other things, in increased drowsiness. The sleepy state is a protective reaction of the body, because in a dream it is more protected from the negative effects of stress.
Drowsiness can also cause depression - an even more severe defeat of the human psyche, when he is literally not interested in anything, and around him, as it seems to him, there is complete hopelessness and hopelessness. Usually depression is caused by a lack of neurotransmitter hormones in the brain and requires serious treatment.
Taking medicines
Many drugs, especially those used to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders, can cause drowsiness. This category includes tranquilizers, antidepressants, antipsychotics.
However, just because the drug you are taking does not fall into this category does not mean that it cannot cause drowsiness as a side effect. Drowsiness is a common side effect for first-generation antihistamines (tavegil, suprastin, diphenhydramine), many drugs for hypertension.
Infectious diseases
Many are familiar with the feeling of flu or acute respiratory infections, especially accompanied by high fever, when it is cold and you want to sleep. This reaction is due to the desire of the body to use all available energy in the fight against infection.
However, lethargy and drowsiness may also be present in infectious diseases that are not accompanied by severe symptoms, such as pathological respiratory phenomena or high fever. It is quite possible that we are talking about an inflammatory process somewhere in the depths of the body. This condition even has a special name - asthenic syndrome. And often the cause of drowsiness is asthenic syndrome.
It is characteristic of many serious diseases, both infectious and non-infectious nature. However, drowsiness is not the only sign of asthenic syndrome. It is also characterized by such symptoms as extremely fast fatigue, irritability and mood lability. Also, asthenic syndrome is characterized by signs of vegetative-vascular dystonia - jumps in blood pressure, pain in the heart, chilliness or sweating, discoloration of the skin, headaches, tachycardia, abdominal pain and digestive disorders.
Hormonal imbalances
Many of the hormones produced in the human body affect the activity of physiological and nervous processes. In case of their lack, a person will feel drowsiness, fatigue, weakness, loss of strength. At the same time, pressure can also decrease, immunity can be weakened. These hormones include thyroid hormones, adrenal hormones. In addition to drowsiness, these diseases are also characterized by symptoms such as weight loss and appetite, lowering blood pressure. Similar symptoms can appear in hypoglycemic form of diabetes.
The cause of somnolence in middle-aged and elderly men can also be a lack of the sex hormone - testosterone.
Diseases that cause a decrease in blood flow to the brain or intoxication of the body
In many diseases of the internal organs, the brain lacks oxygen. It can also cause such a phenomenon as daytime sleepiness. Such diseases include cardiovascular pathologies and lung diseases:
- ischemia,
- atherosclerosis,
- heart attack,
- hypertension,
- arrhythmias,
- bronchitis,
- asthma,
- pneumonia,
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
In diseases of the liver and kidneys, various toxic substances can enter the bloodstream, including those that lead to increased drowsiness.
Atherosclerosis
Although this disease is considered to be characteristic of the elderly, nevertheless, relatively young people have also recently been affected by it. This disease is expressed in the fact that the vessels of the brain are clogged with lipids deposited on the walls of the vessels. Drowsiness in the case of this disease is just one of the symptoms of cerebrovascular insufficiency. In addition to drowsiness, the disease is also characterized by memory impairment, noise in the head.
Osteochondrosis
Recently, a disease such as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine has become widespread among people, especially those who are engaged in sedentary work. Every second person suffers from this disease in one form or another. Meanwhile, few people know that with this disease, not only pain in the neck is often observed, but also a spasm of the cervical arteries. It is well known that many people sitting at the monitor screen for a long time, especially in an uncomfortable position, cannot concentrate properly. However, they do not suspect that this disease is the cause of their problems. And from the inability to concentrate in the performance of their work duties, such consequences as rapid fatigue and the desire to quickly go to sleep, that is, drowsiness, follow.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is one of the causes of drowsiness in women. During the first stage of pregnancy (up to 13 weeks), a woman's body experiences an increased need for sleep. This is a normal physiological reaction caused by its hormonal changes and the fact that a woman needs to gain strength for the upcoming birth process. So there is nothing surprising if a woman in position can sleep 10-12 hours a day. In the last two trimesters, drowsiness is less common. In some cases, it may indicate some deviations in the process of gestation - for example, anemia or eclampsia.
Anemia, beriberi, dehydration
Lack of blood in the circulatory system (anemia), as well as a lack of hemoglobin, also often lead to a deterioration in the blood supply to brain tissues. With anemia, a person often feels that he has heavy eyes, and he wants to sleep. But this, of course, is not the only symptom of the disease. With anemia, dizziness, weakness and pallor are also observed.
A similar situation is also observed with a lack of certain vitamins and microelements in the body, with dehydration. Dehydration results from the loss of water and electrolyte compounds. It is often the result of severe diarrhea. Thus, often the cause of drowsiness is simply a lack of certain substances in the body.
Drug use, alcohol and smoking
After taking a significant dose of alcohol, a person tends to sleep - this effect is well known to many. Less well known is that smoking can also lead to poor blood supply to brain tissue. Many drugs also have a sedative effect. This should be kept in mind by many parents who are concerned about the sudden onset of excessive sleepiness in their teenage children. It is possible that the change in their condition is associated with the use of narcotic drugs.
Mental and neurological diseases
Sleepy states are characteristic of many mental illnesses, as well as personality disorders. In what diseases of the nervous system and psyche can somnolence be observed? These diseases include:
- schizophrenia,
- epilepsy,
- apathetic stupor,
- vegetative seizures and crises,
- psychoses of various types.
Also, hypersomnia can be a side effect of the treatment of diseases with the help of pharmaceuticals. With impaired functioning of the brain associated with traumatic brain injuries, encephalopathies of various origins, increased intracranial pressure, this symptom can also be observed. The same can be said about infectious diseases of tissues associated with higher nervous activity - encephalitis, meningitis, poliomyelitis.
There are other types of hypersomnia predominantly of a neurological nature - idiopathic hypersomnia, Kleine-Levin syndrome.
How to get rid of drowsiness
With drowsiness, identifying the causes is not always easy. As is clear from the above, the causes of drowsiness can be varied - from an uncomfortable bed on which a person spends the night, to serious, life-threatening pathological conditions. Consequently, it is very difficult to find a universal recipe that would help a person cope with a problem.
The first thing to do is to start with a lifestyle change. Analyze whether you sleep well enough, whether you devote enough time to rest and relaxation, is it worth taking a break, taking a vacation or changing your occupation?
Primary attention should be paid to night sleep, because the reasons for constant drowsiness may also lie in its lack. The full value of night sleep largely depends on the biorhythms developed over the centuries, dictating to the body that you need to go to bed after sunset, and get up with its first rays. But, unfortunately, many people have learned to successfully ignore the instincts inherent in nature, and go to bed at a completely inappropriate time for this - well after midnight. This is facilitated by both the huge employment of the modern city dweller and the availability of various entertainment events (for example, television programs) in the evening. It is worth remembering that this is a bad habit that you should get rid of. The earlier a person goes to bed, the longer and deeper his sleep will be and, therefore, the less likely he will feel tired and sleepy during the daytime. In some cases, it is recommended to take sleeping pills or sedatives, but they should be used only after consulting a doctor.
In addition, there is a great way to increase your resistance to blues and stress - these are sports and physical education, walking and hardening. If you have a sedentary job, then you should take breaks in order to warm up or take a walk, do a set of physical exercises. Even daily morning exercises can increase your vitality so much that the constant desire to sleep during the day will pass by itself. Contrast showers, dousing with cold water, swimming in the pool are all great ways to always feel invigorated.
We must not forget to ventilate the room where you constantly sleep or work, because stuffy and hot air, as well as a lack of oxygen in it, contributes to a breakdown and lethargy.
You should also review your diet to include natural sources of vitamins and minerals, such as fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as products that stimulate the production of endorphins, such as chocolate. Natural drinks such as green tea also have an excellent refreshing effect.
What vitamins can be drunk with increased somnolence? First of all, it is vitamin B1, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is especially common during the winter months.
However, what to do if you have tried all the ways to overcome your drowsiness and failed? Perhaps the point is a metabolic disorder and a lack of neurotransmitters in the brain - serotonin, norepinephrine and endorphins, or a lack of production of thyroid or adrenal hormones, a lack of vitamins and microelements in the body, hidden infections. In this case, you can not do without passing thorough medical research. Depending on the detected pathology, various methods of treatment can be used - taking medications (vitamin complexes, antidepressants, antibiotics, trace elements, etc.).
Which specialist is best to contact if you are suffering from severe drowsiness? As a rule, such problems are solved by a neurologist or a neuropathologist. There are also doctors who specialize in sleep disorders - somnologists. In most cases, a specialist doctor will be able to figure out why you want to sleep during the day.
What not to do if you find excessive sleepiness
Self-administration of drugs is undesirable, as well as the constant intake of stimulants, such as coffee or energy drinks. Yes, a cup of coffee can cheer up a person if he has not slept well, and he needs increased attention and efficiency. However, constant stimulation of the nervous system with caffeine or other energy drinks does not solve the problem, but only eliminates the external symptoms of hypersomnia and forms the dependence of the psyche on stimulants.
A constant feeling of fatigue and drowsiness can significantly affect a person's lifestyle and performance. Such symptoms can indicate both serious diseases, as a result of which the body malfunctions, and external factors that are indirectly related to the problem.
Therefore, if even after a long sleep there is a feeling of fatigue, and during the day you really want to sleep, then you should analyze the situation and, if necessary, seek help from a specialist.
The main causes of chronic fatigue
| Causes of fatigue and drowsiness | How to get rid of the problem |
| lack of oxygen | Go outside for fresh air or open a window to increase your oxygen supply. |
| Vitamin deficiency | It is necessary to normalize nutrition in order to ensure that the body receives a sufficient amount of nutrients with food. If necessary, you should start taking vitamin complexes or dietary supplements. |
| Improper nutrition | You need to revise the diet, remove fast food from it, eat more vegetables and fruits. |
| Vegetovascular dystonia | It is worth practicing breathing exercises, yoga, using hardening methods. |
| Weather | You need to drink a cup of coffee or green tea and do work that will cheer you up. |
| Iron-deficiency anemia | You need to eat foods rich in iron. If necessary, take iron-containing preparations: Hemofer, Aktiferrin, Ferrum-Lek. |
| Bad habits | Stop drinking alcohol or reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke. |
| Chronic fatigue syndrome and depression | In order to get rid of the problem, you need to change your lifestyle and take tranquilizers prescribed by your doctor. |
| endocrine disruption | To get rid of it, you need to take hormonal drugs. |
| Diabetes | Medications or insulin injections are required. |
External factors and lifestyle
Often the cause of constant drowsiness in women can be external factors that affect the body. It can be both natural phenomena and the wrong way of life.
Oxygen
Very often, drowsiness overcomes indoors with a large crowd of people. The reason for this is very simple - lack of oxygen. The less oxygen enters the body, the less it is transported to the internal organs. Brain tissues are very sensitive to this factor and immediately react with headache, fatigue and yawning.
Yawning is a signal that the body is trying to get more oxygen. from the air, but since there is not too much of it in the air, the organism may fail. In order to get rid of drowsiness, you should open a window, a window or just go outside.
Weather
Many people notice that before the rain there is drowsiness and a feeling of fatigue. This is explained quite simply. Before the weather worsens, atmospheric pressure drops, to which the body reacts by lowering blood pressure and slowing the heartbeat, as a result of which the supply of oxygen to the body decreases.
Also, the cause of fatigue and drowsiness during bad weather can be a psychological factor. The monotonous sound of rain, the lack of sunlight are depressing. But most often the problem worries meteorological people.
Magnetic storms
Until recently, magnetic storms were considered an invention of astrologers. But after the appearance of modern equipment, science can observe the state of the sun and report that a new outbreak has occurred on it.
These outbreaks are sources of colossal energy that enters our planet and affects all living things. Sensitive people at such moments experience drowsiness, a feeling of fatigue and weakness. An increase or decrease in blood pressure or an increase in heart rate may also occur.
In order to get rid of unpleasant symptoms, you need to spend more time outdoors and take drugs to normalize blood pressure prescribed by your doctor.
As a prevention of hypersensitivity to magnetic storms, hardening will help.
Place of residence
The human body is very sensitive to climate change. If a person gets to the north, where the amount of oxygen is less than in the area of \u200b\u200bhis usual residence, then he may experience a feeling of fatigue and drowsiness. After the body adapts, the problem will go away by itself.
It is also a problem for residents of megacities, where polluted air is a normal phenomenon. The reduced amount of oxygen in this case causes undesirable side effects.
Lack of vitamins and minerals
Constant fatigue and drowsiness in women may be due to a lack of vitamins in the body. Vitamins are responsible for transporting and obtaining oxygen. To replenish their level, you need to eat right or take additional vitamin complexes.
Vitamins and trace elements, the lack of which causes a feeling of fatigue and drowsiness:
Poor or improper nutrition
Women sitting on rigid mono-diets often complain of poor health, fatigue and drowsiness. This is due to the lack of vitamins and trace elements that must be supplied to the body in sufficient quantities.
Some of them the body is not able to produce on its own and must receive from outside. Therefore, people who want to lose weight should take this fact into account and give preference to diets in which the diet is varied.
Also, the cause of drowsiness can be malnutrition, eating fast food or fatty foods.
To process unhealthy food, the body spends additional energy. This creates an additional load on the digestive system, which negatively affects the work of all organs and in the future can cause a negative reaction in the form of constant fatigue and drowsiness.
Another cause of fatigue and drowsiness in women: overeating, in which the body finds it difficult to cope with the excess amount of food entering the body.
Bad habits
One of the worst habits that can cause you to feel unwell and sleepy is smoking. When nicotine and its accompanying harmful substances enter the body, vasoconstriction occurs, as a result of which blood to the brain begins to flow more slowly. And since it transports oxygen, the brain begins to experience hypoxia (lack of oxygen).
In turn, alcohol negatively affects the liver, as a result of which a person's condition worsens, there is a constant feeling of fatigue and a desire to lie down. Narcotic drugs can also disrupt liver function.
Drugs that cause drowsiness
In some cases, increased drowsiness in women may occur as a side effect after taking medications of various pharmacological groups:
Diseases and the state of the body
In some cases, the cause of drowsiness and constant fatigue can be various disorders in the body.
Hormonal disorders
Women are very dependent on hormonal levels. In addition to drowsiness and feeling unwell, symptoms such as unmotivated aggression, tearfulness, and insomnia may occur. In women, sleep is disturbed, body weight changes and interest in sex is lost. Also, increased hair loss or frequent headaches can indicate hormonal disorders.
There are various causes of hormonal changes, which include:
- Puberty, in which the reproductive function is formed;
- Menopause associated with the extinction of reproductive function;
- Premenstrual period (PMS);
- Pregnancy;
- postpartum period;
- Taking hormonal contraceptives;
- Frequent stressful situations;
- Violation of lifestyle and bad habits;
- Rigid diet;
- Obesity;
- Abortions or gynecological diseases;
- Physical exercise.
Treatment of hormonal disorders depends on the causes of their occurrence. In some cases, it is enough to change your lifestyle or get rid of bad habits.
Hormonal preparations can be prescribed as a medical treatment. But if they themselves cause drowsiness, then it is possible that the drugs are chosen incorrectly and the dose of hormones in them exceeds the required one.
Also, to get rid of hormonal problems, normalization of weight may be necessary., for which a woman should start eating right and make sure that the diet has a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals.
nervous exhaustion
Nervous exhaustion has a huge number of symptoms, so recognizing it is not so easy. It can manifest itself as a violation of the intellect, depression, pain in the heart, tachycardia, jumps in blood pressure, numbness of the limbs and a sharp change in body weight.
Nervous exhaustion is almost always accompanied by a feeling of constant weakness and drowsiness in women.. With this disease, women have problems with memory, he cannot absorb the most elementary information, which negatively affects the quality of life and the work process.
The most common cause of nervous exhaustion is overwork. With this ailment, the body consumes much more energy than it is able to accumulate. Nervous exhaustion occurs as a result of mental and emotional stress, prolonged lack of sleep and the presence of bad habits.
Do not ignore the signs of the disease, since treatment started on time in the future will help to avoid many problems.
In order to get rid of nervous exhaustion, first of all, it is necessary to reduce both the emotional and physical stress on the body. It is worth normalizing nutrition, changing the type of activity and paying special attention to sleep.
Of the medications, nootropics can be prescribed: Nootropil, Pramistar and tranquilizers: Gidazepam, Nozepam. Also useful will be sedatives in the form of valerian or Persen.
Depression
Often the cause of drowsiness is depression, which is classified as a number of mental disorders. In this case, a person develops an oppressed and depressed state. He does not feel joy and is not able to perceive positive emotions.
A person with depression feels tired. Such people have low self-esteem, they lose interest in life and work, and also limit physical activity.
The combination of all these symptoms leads to the fact that in the future such people begin to abuse alcohol, drugs, or even commit suicide.
In order to get rid of depression, you need the help of a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. who may prescribe tranquilizers or sedatives. The support of relatives and friends also plays a big role in this case.
Vegetovascular dystonia
Vegetovascular dystonia is a fairly common diagnosis. At the same time, some doctors consider it not an independent disease, but only a symptom of other problems in the body. In this case, disturbances occur in the autonomic nervous system, which is fraught with dizziness, a feeling of constant fatigue, drowsiness, poor health, fluctuations in arterial and intracranial pressure.
People with vegetovascular dystonia need to harden, strengthen blood vessels and lead a proper lifestyle.
Simply put, the brain, for some, often unidentified reasons, is not able to properly control the organs. It is almost impossible to get rid of such a problem with the help of drugs. But at the same time, there is a way out. Breathing techniques, massages, swimming, limited physical activity give good results.
Iron-deficiency anemia
Hemoglobin is the component of red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen. This is a complex iron-containing protein that is able to reversibly bind to oxygen and transport it to tissue cells.
With a lack of iron, a disease such as iron deficiency anemia occurs.
At the same time, the level of hemoglobin is below normal, the person experiences a constant feeling of fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness. This condition often occurs in pregnant women.
For that to replenish the level of iron in the body, you need to eat right, eat red meat, offal, buckwheat porridge and vegetables. It is also necessary to pay special attention to cooking, not to overcook the dishes.
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease characterized by an increase in blood sugar levels resulting from inadequate production of insulin by the pancreas.
Diabetes is accompanied by symptoms such as drowsiness, constant fatigue, dry mouth, constant hunger, muscle weakness and severe itching of the skin. At the same time, the disease is fraught with a mass of additional complications, disorders in the work of the cardiovascular system and organs of vision.
High blood sugar levels can be detected by doing a blood test. To do this, you need to donate blood from a finger on an empty stomach and quickly determine the amount of sugar using a test strip and a glucometer.
Endocrine disruptions
Thyroid dysfunction is very often the cause of such symptoms. According to statistics, 4% of the population of our planet suffer from autoimmune thyroiditis. In this case, the immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland.
If you are worried about the constant feeling of fatigue and drowsiness, but there are no chronic diseases, and the rest is long enough, then you must first contact an endocrinologist.
Various tumors of the thyroid gland can also occur, which interfere with its normal functioning. If you suspect a malfunction of the thyroid gland, the doctor may prescribe an ultrasound examination and analysis for hormones.
In the future, the work of the thyroid gland is corrected by taking hormonal drugs. such as L-thyroxine. If the cause of poor health is an inflammatory process, then corticosteroids in the form of Prednisolone may be prescribed.
Chronic fatigue syndrome, symptoms and treatment
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a relatively new disease that mainly affects residents of megacities. It can be provoked by chronic diseases, great emotional and mental stress, in which there is practically no time left for physical exercises and walks, viral diseases or prolonged depression. Also, regular stressful situations can become the cause of the development of this syndrome.
A person with chronic fatigue syndrome, in addition to constant drowsiness and a feeling of fatigue, may experience attacks of aggression that occur without specific motives, sleep disturbances, and memory problems. A person wakes up in the morning not rested and immediately feels overwhelmed and tired.
In this case, you should consult a doctor and establish the causes of chronic fatigue syndrome. If chronic diseases become the cause, then it is necessary to immediately begin their treatment.
In other situations, coping with chronic fatigue syndrome will help:
- Right lifestyle. A special role in this case is played by the normalization of sleep. Healthy sleep should last at least 7 hours, while you need to go to bed no later than 22-00;
- Physical exercise. It must be remembered that people who spend a long time at the computer need to go to the gym or walk in the fresh air for a long time. Well, for those who have to spend a long time on their feet, massage or swimming will help;
- Nutrition normalization. In order for a sufficient amount of vitamins and microelements to enter the body, it is necessary to eat right, introduce vegetable and fruit salads, cereals, soups into the diet. It is worth giving up fast food, alcohol, carbonated drinks.
How to get rid of drowsiness
In order to get rid of drowsiness and a constant feeling of fatigue, first of all, you need to lead a proper lifestyle, monitor your weight and nutrition. People who have devoted their entire lives to work need to periodically change the situation and try to spend the weekend actively and cheerfully.
Pay special attention to your health if symptoms of any disease are detected, consult a doctor and begin treatment to avoid the transition of the disease into a chronic form.
To get rid of drowsiness you can drink a small amount of natural coffee or strong tea. In this case, lemongrass or ginseng tinctures can also be useful. They have an excellent tonic property and help to quickly cheer up. But it must be remembered that people with high blood pressure should not use them.
In the winter-spring period, when food becomes poor in vitamins, it is worth thinking about taking vitamin complexes that will help make up for the lack of these substances in the body. These funds include: Supradin, Duovit, Vitrum, Revit. A doctor or pharmacist will help you choose the right drug.
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