How to Live with Hypersomnia and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
Hypersomnia, n. A condition in which one sleeps for an excessively long time but is normal in the waking intervals. The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary, Houghton Mifflin (1995).
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS, Hypersomnolence, Excessive Sleepiness): A subjective report of difficulty in maintaining the alert awake state, usually accompanied by a rapid entrance into sleep when the person is sedentary. . .Most commonly occurs during the daytime, however, excessive sleepiness may be present at night in a person who has the major sleep episode during the daytime, such as a shift worker. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Allen Press (1991).
Is the distinction between the two terms unclear to you? It should be: the International Classification definition, omitted in part above, includes Hypersomnia as a term closely equivalent to Excessive Daytime Sleepiness! However, it goes on the define Hypersomnia in a manner similar to Stedman's Medical Dictionary:
Hypersomnia (Excessive Sleepiness): Excessively deep or prolonged major sleep period. May be associated with difficulty in awakening. The term is primarily used as a diagnostic term, e.g., idiopathic hypersomnia, and the term excessive sleepiness is used to describe the symptom.
Does that make the definitions and their distinctions crystal clear? If not, you are in good company; sleep experts get the two mixed up. But an important distinction to be taken from this semantic diversion is:
Although people who feel overly sleepy too much of the time also tend to sleep too much, there is an (important) distinction between feeling sleepy and actually sleeping. (For example, consider the soldier on sentry duty who reports on being asked by his sergeant how he's doing, answers, "I am feeling very sleepy" or, instead, says, "I am sleeping a lot." The first response may earn sympathy and support; the second may lead to the stockade!)
This event at Suite101 led me to write an article that I ought to have thought to write long ago!
The reason for its importance is as follows. Although new and effective treatments have arisen, especially for at least two major diseases causing Hypersomnia and EDS--Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Narcolepsy--they still don't work 100% to relieve the symptoms in everyone. Also, it often takes a lengthy period of treatment adjustments to gain optimal effects. Meanwhile, the person afflicted with these symptoms must carry on, living as best he or she can in spite of symptoms.
Forgive my effort to start off a serious subject with an attempt at humor. I'll go on with this just a bit longer, but don't forget that I will never depart from the truth as I know it.
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