Drowsiness
Sleepiness - during the day; Hypersomnia; SomnolenceDrowsiness refers to feeling more sleepy than normal during the day. People who are drowsy may fall asleep when they do not want to or at times which can lead to safety concerns.
Considerations
Excessive daytime sleepiness (without a known cause) may be a sign of a sleep disorder.
Depression, anxiety, stress, and boredom can all contribute to excessive sleepiness. However, these conditions more often cause fatigue and apathy.
Depression
Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for shor...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleAnxiety
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental disorder in which a person is often worried or anxious about many things and finds it hard to control ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleStress
Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stres...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleFatigue
Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleCauses
Drowsiness may be due to the following:
- Long-term (chronic) pain
- Diabetes
- Having to work long hours or different shifts (nights, weekends)
- Insomnia and other problems falling or staying asleep
Insomnia
Insomnia is trouble falling asleep, staying asleep (usually through the night), or waking up too early in the morning. Episodes of insomnia may come ...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Changes in blood sodium levels (hyponatremia or hypernatremia)
Hyponatremia
Low blood sodium is a condition in which the sodium level in the blood is lower than normal. The medical name of this condition is hyponatremia....
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Medicines (tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antihistamines, certain painkillers, some psychiatric drugs)
- Not sleeping long enough
- Sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea and narcolepsy)
Sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a problem in which your breathing pauses during sleep. This occurs because of narrowed or blocked airways.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleNarcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a nervous system problem that causes extreme sleepiness and attacks of daytime sleep.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Too much calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia)
Hypercalcemia
Hypercalcemia means you have too much calcium in your blood.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone. This condition is often called underactive thyroid....
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Home Care
You can relieve drowsiness by treating the cause of the problem. First, determine whether your drowsiness is due to depression, anxiety, boredom, or stress. If you are not sure, talk with your health care provider.
For drowsiness due to medicines, talk to your provider about switching or stopping your medicines. But, DO NOT stop taking or change your medicine without first talking to your provider.
Do not drive when drowsy.
What to Expect at Your Office Visit
Your provider will examine you to determine the cause of your drowsiness. You will be asked about your sleep patterns and health. Questions may include:
- How well do you sleep?
- How much do you sleep?
- Do you snore?
- Do you fall asleep during the day when you do not plan to nap (such as when watching TV or reading)? If so, do you awake feeling refreshed? How often does this happen?
- Are you depressed, anxious, stressed, or bored?
- What medicines do you take?
- What have you done to try to relieve the drowsiness? How well did it work?
- What other symptoms do you have?
Tests that may be done include:
- Blood tests (such as a CBC and blood differential, blood sugar level, electrolytes, calcium, and thyroid hormone levels)
CBC
A complete blood count (CBC) test measures the following:The number of white blood cells (WBC count)The number of red blood cells (RBC count)The numb...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleBlood differential
The blood differential test measures the percentage of each type of white blood cell (WBC) that you have in your blood. It also reveals if there are...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - CT or MRI scan of the head
CT
A head computed tomography (CT) scan uses many x-rays to create pictures of the head, including the skull, brain, eye sockets, and sinuses.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleMRI
A head MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is an imaging test that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create pictures of the brain and surrounding...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Electroencephalogram
An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test to measure the electrical activity of the brain.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Sleep studies
Sleep studies
Polysomnography is a sleep study. This test records certain body functions as you sleep, or try to sleep. Polysomnography is used to diagnose sleep...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Urine tests (such as a urinalysis)
Urinalysis
Urinalysis is the physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine. It involves a number of tests to detect and measure various compounds th...
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Treatment depends on the cause of your drowsiness.
References
Avidan AY. Sleep and its disorders. In: Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, Pomeroy SL, Newman NJ, eds. Bradley and Daroff's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 101.
Mansukhani MP, Kolla BP, St. Louis EK. Sleep disorders. In: Kellerman RD, Rakel DP, Heidelbaugh JJ, Lee EM, eds. Conn's Current Therapy 2023. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier 2023:794-809.
Sharafkhaneh A, Hirshkowitz M. Evaluating sleepiness and fatigue. In: Kryger M, Roth T, Goldstein CA, Dement WC, eds. Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 207.
Review Date: 7/8/2023
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.