Sleep disorders

Welcome to Connect @birdbear.
I'm bringing fellow members @dawn_giacabazi @kyjeanne @jharsh @johnwburns and @gramateri into this discussion because they have written about sleep disorders in the past.

Birdbear, it would be helpful to learn more about you. What is the cause of your excessive daytime sleepiness? Have you been to a sleep disorder clinic?

Since you are being treated for this condition you should have been made aware that modafinil or its cousin nuvigil are the first line treatments. Some clinicians prefer low dose ritalin which is presumably what you mean by "amphetamines", possibly due to cost.
Echoing Colleen's question: how were you diagnosed and what were you diagnosed with? EDS doesn't exist as a distinct entity.

Hello & welcome.
I will also echo my colleagues for a little more details. Have you had a sleep study? Do you have a formal diagnose or is "Connect" your first step of defense?

Details 🙂
Dawn

Connect is my 1st step

No I haven't been to a clinic & I also have bipolar suffering from depression I haven't had a manic episode for 30years

Hi @birdbear. So many things can cause a disruption of sleep. Can be simple as not watching TV in your bedroom or not lying in bed until you are ready to fall asleep to much more complex problems. There are some things you can do to help but it is best to get the advice from sleep disorder clinic if the problem persists. I am attaching a link with some information.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/basics/definition/con-20024293

Here is a link with some great tips to start with.

Sleep is Vital!! 🙂
Dawn

Birdbear, good for you for taking the first step.
As Dawn mentioned many things can trigger poor sleep at night and/or excessive sleepiness during the day. Are you sleeping poorly at night or are you sleepy during the day despite a good night's sleep?

You may wish to consider an appointment at a reputable sleep clinic near you. Here is information about Mayo Clinic's sleep clinic in Rochester, MN http://mayocl.in/2d9garj

Insomnia is one of those things that can be a symptom or a root cause. In any case its implications can be far reaching with impact in multiple domains.

Cardiovascular disease
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22942213

Exacerbation or even cause of psychiatric disease
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21928153

At any rate it should be root caused and treated, the first step being seeing a sleep neurologist as Dawn and Colleen have stated. A good first step is to review how much exercise you are getting. If its low, increase it, assuming that you don't have any risk factors making it a bad idea.

Good luck.

I had a sleep study yrs ago Narcolepsy was ruled out, I was already taking Modafinil 200 mg daily, I’m not sure if the doctor gave me that diagnosis so that I could continue to take the Modafinil.
I was working days as an RN at a hospital and would fall asleep at in opportune times. I feel that the med saved my career.
I’m 76 and still taking it, if I miss a dose I am falling asleep by by 11am feeling totally exhausted. When I get up in the morning after 5-6 hours sleep, I make a cup of tea, sit in my lounge chair and check my email. After about 10 minutes I start dozing off, many times I have my tea in my hand, the next thing I know, I’ve fallen asleep and spilled my tea all over myself.
I am going for another sleep study in January, how do they make the diagnosis of EDS.
Also, what is the difference between a sleep specialist and a sleep neurologist, I have a regular neurologist.

Hi @emyliander, I don't think @johnwburns is still active on Connect so I thought I would try and answer part of your questions with some information I found.

"What does a sleep neurologist do?
Neurologic Sleep Disorder Team. Penn neurologists with specific expertise in Sleep Medicine provide care for patients with primary neurologic sleep disorders and sleep problems that accompany other neurologic conditions."
-- Neurology - Sleep Conditions:
https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/find-a-program-or-service/neurology/sleep-conditions

"What is the role of a sleep specialist?
What Is a Sleep Specialist? A sleep specialist specializes in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, and others. Sleep specialists are most often neurologists, pulmonologists, or psychiatrists who have completed additional training in sleep medicine."
-- Do I Need a Sleep Specialist?
https://www.dukehealth.org/blog/do-i-need-sleep-specialist