Drowsiness: symptoms, causes and treatment
The drowsiness It appears when we tend to feel sleepy during the day, being able to fall asleep in situations or inappropriate moments. Surely at some point in your life you have suffered drowsiness, since in most cases appears as a result of not having slept long enough.
In addition to the few hours of sleep, depression, anxiety or stress can contribute to the appearance of excessive sleepiness. Even boredom can help it appear.
However, what very few people actually know is that the excessive sleepiness that appears throughout the day and without a known cause being diagnosed can be a sign of significant sleep disturbance (ie, it is different from fatigue).
Symptoms of drowsiness
Obviously, the most important and characteristic symptom of drowsiness is the feeling of need to sleep, often linked to a feeling of apathy in which you do not care what happens or happens around you.
What are the causes of drowsiness?
The causes that can cause the onset of drowsiness are varied, and can range from specific causes such as having slept a few hours, to something more serious causes that may indicate the existence of an important sleep disorder.
Here we summarize some of its main causes:
- Sleep disorders: sleep apnea and narcolepsy.
- Having to work too many hours, or in very different shifts.
- Not sleeping enough.
- Consumption of certain medications (antihistamines, sleeping pills and tranquilizers).
- Hypercalcemia (excess calcium in the blood).
- Hypothyroidism (low activity of the thyroid gland).
- Diabetes.
- Chronic pain.
- Hyponatremia and hypernatremia.
Treatment of drowsiness
Drowsiness can be alleviated when the cause that caused or caused its occurrence is treated, so that the medical action and the treatment will depend on its cause.
For example, if drowsiness appears as a result of depression, anxiety or stress, it is best to go to the psychologist, who will provide psychological advice and strategies, and also help us to resolve it.
In the event that the drowsiness is caused by medications, the doctor may change or suspend them.
Obviously, when drowsiness lasts several days it is very important to go to the doctor's office, which will evaluate our health status and look for possible causes.
Drowsiness and fatigue are the same?
It is common for drowsiness to be directly related to fatigue, but we must bear in mind that they are not the same at all.
And is that while drowsiness, as we indicated at the beginning, is a sense of need to sleep often exaggerated, fatigue is a lack of motivation and energy.
Image | tomer.gabel This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor.
