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Extreme fatigue, insomnia w/daytime hypersomnia. Any suggestions?
Have had insomnia for 20 years but the last ten it has steadily worsened to where some nights I do not sleep at all. Secondary to this is daytime hypersomnia. Obviously, I'm exhausted during the day bc I haven't slept during the night. This is an everynight/everyday occurrence. I would sell my soul(not really) for 8 hours of sleep.
Have been on blood thinners for 4 years & it seems worse on blood thinners. I read most of every night. About 5 books a week. Anyone have any suggestions? Thank-you for any of your insights.
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Hello @dolsgirl, Welcome to Connect. I thought you might like to connect with members discussing hypersomnia in a couple of other discussions here:
--- New Idiopathic Hypersomnia Diagnosis, Now What?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/new-idiopathic-hypersomnia-diagnosis-now-what/
--- Talking with your doctor about idiopathic hypersomnia...: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/talking-with-your-doctor-about-idiopathic-hypersomnia/.
You might find the following sites helpful for learning more about the condition and possible treatments or suggestions.
--- What is Hypersomnia? - How it's defined, its causes, and the steps that can help resolve it:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/hypersomnia
--- What Is Idiopathic Hypersomnia?: https://www.hypersomniafoundation.org/.
Have you ever had an overnight sleep study done?
Going by what you have left unsaid in your post, I would consult a sleep specialist, who will probably order a sleep study. This is a good, basic start to sorting out what is going on. I recently did a second sleep study (the first was 15 years ago) due to excessive daytime sleepines and was diagnosed with sleep apnea.
@dolsgirl I was just diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia 2 weeks ago.
I did a sleep study to rule out narcolepsy, and was dx with IH instead.
I’m going to see my neurologist in 2 days. From what I understand the brain is perhaps producing too much of a chemical that makes me too sleepy.
They will probably want to start me on a stimulant…I will keep you updated.
A sleep study might narrow down the cause and rule out sleep apnea. Some symptoms overlap. Good luck in finding an answer.
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1 ReactionIf you have cataplexy (transient muscle weakness), you may have narcolepsy type 1, and you should go to a neurologist/sleep medicine specialist to get checked out. If no cataplexy, you MAY have narcolepsy type 2, about which neurology knows next to nothing. Other features of narcolepsy are sudden onset, brief naps (with dreams starting before you're asleep) that are disproportionately refreshing given that you've napped only 5 or 10 mins.
If not narcolepsy, check out adenosine and melatonin, altho I wouldn't recommend taking melatonin supps. Learn about the daily cycles of this neurotransmitter and hormone, respectively, and what you can do and not do and eat/drink and not eat/drink to support these cycles. If you don't have nacrolepsy, one or both of these cycles may be messed up or, in the memorable words of My Cousin Vinnie, "out of whack."
Good luck.