Is Hypersomnia a Good Thing?

Sleep deprivation is associated with various health problems involving the nervous and cardiovascular systems. What about excessive sleep, or hypersomnia? This generally means more than 9 hours of sleep per night. It turns out that hypersomnia can also negatively impact both physical and mental health.

A variety of conditions interfere with good quality sleep and may lead to the need or desire to stay in bed for more than 8 hours. These include sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, bruxism (grinding teeth), chronic pain, and medications often meant to induce sleep but actually interfere with high-quality sleep. Certain hormonal imbalances, including melatonin and cortisol, disrupt circadian rhythm. Caffeine and environmental factors are often contributory.

Idiopathic hypersomnia is characterized by long sleep times (> 9 hours), daytime sleepiness, and cognitive dysfunction.The term “idiopathic” indicates that there is no identifiable cause. It often has a significant, negative impact on quality of life, work or school performance, and overall health. Issues causing poor sleep quality should be addressed, and good sleep hygiene should be implemented. If the problem persists despite diagnosis and treatment of underlying conditions, medications such as oxybate may be indicated.

Hypersomnia is commonly associated with daytime sleepiness that interferes with social and professional activities. People often report the need to nap during the day. Mood and depressive disorders, as well as general cognitive decline, may accompany hypersomnia. Road accidents are a risk. There is an elevated risk of mortality in people with hypersomnia.

There is a bidirectional relationship between hypersomnia and physical and mental health disorders. The former may cause or be caused by the latter. Many of the maladies connected to hypersomnia are subjective. Combined with the complexities of the two-way relationship between excessive sleep and adverse health conditions, this is a difficult area for research.

People with this issue are well served by having history and physical examinations by qualified health care providers. Underlying medical conditions may be identified and treated. Sleep hygiene should be optimized. If hypersomnia persists, medication may be helpful.

Note: Although I am a physician, the content in this article is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent illness or disease in the reader – it is for educational purposes only.

References

1. Ohayon MM, Reynolds CF, Dauvilliers Y. Excessive sleep durationa nd quality of life. Ann Neurol 2013;73:785-94.
2. Thorpy MJ, Krahn LK, Ruoff C, Foldvary-Schaefer N. Clinical considerations in the treatment of idiopathic hypersomnia. Sleep Med 2024;119:488-98.
3. Lammers GJ, Bassetti CLA, Dolenc-Groselj L, et al. Diagnosis of central disorders of hypersomnolence: a reappraisal by European experts. Sleep Med Rev 2020;52: 101306.