Drowsiness Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Drowsiness is a state when a person wants to sleep. Unfortunately, this drowsiness can occur at the most inopportune moment. As a result, the person will fall asleep at the wrong time, for example in the middle of his activity while doing his job.
Excessive sleepiness during the day can be a sign of a sleep disorder. Even though it seems like a simple problem, complaints of excessive sleepiness can cause various other problems, such as impaired work productivity or decreased school performance.
Symptom
There are several symptoms that a person with drowsiness may show, namely:
- There is sleepiness during the day. Usually, this is accompanied by excessive yawning.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Easily offended. Feelings of drowsiness can cause a person to become irritable and angry.
- In drowsiness associated with depression, there will be symptoms of moodiness and loss of interest.
Reason
There are several causes of drowsiness that you need to pay attention to, namely:
- Lack of rest. Adults need about 7-9 hours of sleep per day. If a person does not get enough time to sleep, he will feel sleepy during the day.
- Changed sleep pattern. A person with a profession that requires him to work in alternating work shift schedules will also have irregular sleep patterns.
This can cause disruption of the body’s rhythm or circadian rhythm. These disturbances cause drowsiness because the body does not have time to adapt to changing sleep patterns.
- Sleep disorders. Various sleep disorders can cause complaints of excessive sleepiness during the day. One of them is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
This disorder occurs when a person experiences airflow obstruction during sleep. That’s why the sleep quality of OSA sufferers is poor and causes excessive sleepiness.
Another example of a sleep disorder is hypersomnia. This is a condition when a person needs sleep that is longer than normal sleep time, with complaints of excessive sleepiness during the day.
The cause of hypersomnia is not known with certainty. This disorder is thought to be related to genetic factors, viral infections, or a history of trauma.
- Psychic disorders. Various psychological disorders can cause complaints of sleepiness. Someone who is depressed may complain of feeling excessively sleepy, moody, and lose interest in activities.
- Metabolic disorders. Various body metabolic disorders such as sodium levels and low blood sugar levels can cause a person to experience a decrease in consciousness that resembles drowsiness. Sufferers will tend to fall asleep and are not responsive to the surrounding environment.
Diagnosis
Finding the cause of drowsiness requires a medical interview and a careful physical examination. Various information needs to be explored regarding symptoms of daytime sleepiness, sleep quality, and complaints related to signs of airway obstruction during sleep such as snoring.
Information about the type of work, length of work, and work shifts also needs to be collected. To know for certain the quality of a person’s sleep, a sleep examination can be done at a sleep clinic. There the patient will undergo an examination of sleep patterns, breathing patterns, and detection of respiratory disorders or other physical disturbances during sleep.
Treatment
To deal with drowsiness can be done by addressing the causes of drowsiness. If the cause of sleepiness is lack of rest, then you need to take the time to get enough sleep.
If the cause of drowsiness is a sleep disorder such as OSA, then an examination by a doctor is needed to find out the cause of OSA. The use of positive pressure masks while sleeping can be done to maintain smooth breathing.
In cases of drowsiness due to a background of depression, psychotherapy and depression medication are needed. The aim is to improve the quality of life of sufferers.
Prevention
You can prevent drowsiness by making sure you have enough sleep. Also, make sure you get good quality sleep. If you feel that you have complaints of moodiness, loss of interest, and signs of depression, consult this problem with a psychiatrist to get the right treatment.