Somnolen (as an alternative "sleepiness" or " drowsiness ") is a state of strong desire to sleep, or sleep for a very long time (compare hypersomnia )). It has different meanings and causes. This may refer to ordinary circumstances before falling asleep, the condition being in a drowsy state due to circadian rhythm disorder, or other symptoms of health problems. It can be accompanied by lethargy, weakness, and lack of mental agility.
Somnolen is often seen as a symptom and not a nuisance by itself. However, the concept of somnolent recurs at certain times for some reason is a variety of disorders, such as excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep shift work disturbances, and others; and there is a medical code for somnolen that is seen as a nuisance.
Drowsiness can be dangerous when performing tasks that require constant concentration, such as driving a vehicle. When a person is tired enough, sleep can be experienced. In a sleep-deprived individual, somnolent may disappear spontaneously for short periods of time; This phenomenon is a second wind, and results from the normal cycle of circadian rhythm that interferes with the process that the body makes to prepare itself for rest.
The word "somnolen" comes from the Latin "somnus" meaning "sleep".
Video Somnolence
Cause
Circadian rhythm disorder
Circadian rhythm ("biological clock" disorder) is a common cause of drowsiness like a number of other conditions such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy. Body clock disturbances are classified as extrinsic (external caused) or intrinsic. The first type is, for example, shifting sleeping disorders, which affect people who work at night or rotate shifts. The intrinsic types include:
- Continued sleep phase disorder (ASPD) - Conditions in which the patient feels very sleepy and goes to bed early in the evening and wakes up early
- delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) - Incorrect sleep timing, peak awareness period, core body temperature rhythm, hormonal and other daily cycles that occur several hours late than the norm, often misdiagnosed as insomnia
- 24-hour sleep-up disturbance - Defective body clock and sleep-wake cycle are usually longer than (rarely shorter than) the normal 24-hour period causing insomnia and excessive sleepiness complaints
- Irregular sleep-up rhythms - Lots of naps for 24 hours, no major night sleep episodes and day-to-day irregularities
Physical health
Drowsiness can also be a response to infection. Such an attitude is one of several behavioral diseases or reactions to infections that some theories evolve to improve recovery by saving energy while the body is fighting off infections using fever and other means. Other causes include:
- Hypothyroidism - The body does not produce enough hormones that control how cells use energy
- Hipermagnesaemia
- Low blood sodium - Hyponatremia
- Hypercalcaemia - Too much calcium in the blood
- Meningitis
- Head Injuries
- Concussion - Mild traumatic brain injury
- Narcolepsy - Disorders of the nervous system
- Brain tumor
- Skull fracture
- Chronic pain
- Diabetes
- Fibromyalgia
- Sleeping illness - caused by certain parasites
- Mood disorders - Depression, Anxiety, Stress
Drugs that can cause drowsiness
- analgesics - mostly prescribed or forbidden opiates like OxyContin or heroin
- anticonvulsant/antiepileptic - such as phenytoin (Dilantin), carbamazepine (Tegretol), Lyrica (pregbalin), Gabapentin
- antidepressants - such as tricyclic antidepressants, and mirtazapine. Somnolen is less common with SSRIs and SNRIs as well as MAOIs.
- antihistamines - for example, diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Nytol) and doxylamine (Unisom-2)
- antipsychotics - eg, thioridazine, quetiapine (Seroquel), olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone, and ziprasidone (Geodon) but not haloperidol
- dopamine agonists are used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease - eg. pergolide, ropinirole and pramipexole.
- HIV drugs - such as efavirenz
- hypertension drugs - such as amlodipine
- sedative/hypnotic - such as zopiclone (Zimovane), or benzodiazepine such as diazepam (Valium) or nitrazepam (Mogadon) and barbiturates, such as amobarbital (Amytal) or secobarbital (Seconal)
- Other agents that affect the central nervous system in sufficient or toxic doses
Maps Somnolence
Severity
A number of diagnostic tests, including the Epworth Drowsiness Scale, are available to help ensure the seriousness and probability of somnolent abnormal causes.
Treatment
Somnolen is a symptom, so treatment will depend on the cause. If the cause is the patient's behavior and choice of life (such as working long hours, smoking, mental condition), it may help to get plenty of rest and get rid of the disorder. It is also important to investigate what causes problems, such as stress or anxiety, and take steps to reduce feelings.
See also
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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