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Increased sleepiness
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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Agree, the state when you constantly want to lie down and sleep, which comes at the most inappropriate time (during a lecture or family dinner) can significantly complicate our lives. And the constant feeling of fatigue significantly reduces the quality of human life. Increased sleepiness is perceived by many as an indicator of an approaching change in the weather. But in fact, there are many more reasons that provoke such discomfort.
Causes of increased sleepiness
To effectively combat any problem, it is necessary to have an idea of the source that became its catalyst. The causes of increased sleepiness are quite diverse, so only a qualified specialist can establish the correct source. But a lot also depends on the person himself. There are a number of factors that anyone can independently remove from the list of probable causes. This will happen after revising your daily routine, the correspondence of loads and rest time, as well as the balance of the diet.
So, what are the reasons that can cause such a state of the body? It turns out that there are so many of them that it is simply impossible to list them all in one article. After all, increased drowsiness is the first signal from the brain that the cells of the central nervous system are being suppressed. The sources of this effect can be both external and internal.
External ones include:
- Living in an area with a difficult environmental situation.
- Staying for a long time in a room with limited access to fresh air (oxygen).
- Hypothermia is freezing, which leads to a decrease in body temperature.
- Lack of sleep.
- High physical and emotional stress.
- Intense mental activity.
- Frequent relocations, business trips associated with changes in climate and time zones.
- Taking some pharmacological agents can also cause drowsiness. In the instructions attached to them, drowsiness is listed as a side effect of the drug.
- Magnetic storms. Complex climatic conditions.
- Poor nutrition. Newfangled diets and prolonged fasting.
- Lack of vitamins in the patient's body.
- Poor quality night sleep: insomnia, short period of time allocated for sleep.
- Abundant, dense and heavy food.
- Sedentary work.
Since the discomfort symptoms under consideration can be expressed as one of the symptoms of many diseases, it is very important to combine them with other pathological manifestations, the tandem of which allows an experienced specialist to more specifically suggest the cause of drowsiness.
Internal ones include:
- Severe diffuse changes affecting brain cells, disturbances of brain stem structures.
- The presence in the patient's medical history of traumatic brain injury, which leads to the formation of intracranial hematomas and swelling of brain tissue.
- Intoxication of the body leading to hepatic or renal coma.
- Acute form of poisoning.
- One of the diseases of the cardiovascular system.
- During the period of toxicosis, which appears in the late stages of pregnancy, preeclampsia can develop.
- Narcolepsy is a disease that is not yet fully understood.
- Asthenic syndrome is a severe nervous exhaustion.
- Hypoxia of brain cells. In this case, headache and dizziness are added.
- Pathological abnormalities in the functioning of the respiratory organs.
- Problems with blood formation.
- Kleine-Levin syndrome.
- Doctors separately distinguish such a disease as hypersomnia, in which the duration of sleep can be from 12 to 14 hours per day. This disease can be concomitant with psychological diseases: endogenous depression or schizophrenia.
- Vegetative-vascular dystonia.
- Nervous exhaustion.
- Hypotension.
- Low blood sugar levels in the patient (hypoglycemia).
- On the contrary, increased sugar content (hyperglycemia).
- Problems with the endocrine system can also provoke drowsiness: hypothyroidism, diabetes, excess weight.
- First trimester of pregnancy.
- The presence of bad habits in a person.
- Neoplasms of oncological and benign nature. Conducting a course of chemotherapy.
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What can increased sleepiness indicate?
It is probably impossible to find a person who has never experienced the state when one begins to feel sleepy. After all, this is a normal physiological state for all living organisms. Another question is if this fact is observed quite often and at an inappropriate time, when the human biological clock should show a period of wakefulness.
Therefore, it is worth getting to know how the symptoms of increased sleepiness manifest themselves, and if they are felt during the daytime, then you should not brush off this problem. After all, this is your body giving a signal that something is wrong with it.
The symptoms under consideration are as follows:
- A person cannot concentrate on performing a certain task. The brain switches off, refusing to work.
- Eyes close.
- The level of performance decreases.
- General lethargy sets in. This condition only gets worse throughout the day.
- Often, one thought beats in the brain: “I’m tired, I really want to lie down and rest.”
- Upon returning home from work, such a person loses interest in anything. He is not drawn to watch his favorite TV series or discuss a football match with friends.
- The weekend has come, you can lie in bed longer, but even this does not help, the desire to sleep still does not go away. The need to spend the whole day in bed appears.
If such symptoms haunt a person for a long time, it is worth taking a closer look at your daily routine and diet, analyzing them. Perhaps it will be enough to spend more time in the fresh air, increase the duration of rest time and the problem will be solved. Otherwise, you cannot do without consulting a specialist.
Increased fatigue and drowsiness
If a patient is plagued by increased fatigue and drowsiness for a long time, then in most cases this tandem symptomatology indicates nervous exhaustion of the patient's body, the so-called cerebrasthenia or neurasthenia.
The morphological basis of these pathological manifestations may well be disorders of both an organic and functional nature that affect the cells of the central nervous system.
These two symptoms may be accompanied by other abnormalities:
- Tearfulness. The human body shows emotional instability.
- Increased irritability.
- Memory impairment.
- Decreased performance.
- Decreased overall tone.
- And many others.
Against the background of nervous exhaustion, the body's defenses are reduced, which pathogenic flora invariably tries to take advantage of, and an exacerbation of diseases already present in a person's medical history may also occur.
In such a situation, it is necessary to seek help from a qualified doctor who will help determine the source of the pathology. After all, only by eliminating the cause can we talk about an effective solution to the problem.
Drowsiness and increased appetite
As medical statistics show, 19% of women preparing to become mothers experience drowsiness and increased appetite in the first weeks of pregnancy, which is physiologically quite acceptable. The woman's body undergoes significant restructuring, adapting to its new status. In this situation, you should not worry, but you should not follow your body's lead either. Extra pounds can only add problems to the course of pregnancy.
In such a situation, you should consult with an obstetrician-gynecologist who is monitoring your pregnancy. He will give you the necessary recommendations that will help you get through this period of time more easily.
If the symptoms in question affect a man or a woman who is not pregnant, a doctor's consultation would also be helpful. After all, such a combination of symptoms may indicate underlying health problems that only a specialist can recognize.
Increased daytime sleepiness
Quite a few modern people begin to feel increased sleepiness during the daytime. This factor especially often occurs after a fairly large lunch, when, after eating, you begin to feel sleepy, and your working capacity begins to sharply tend to zero.
What to do in such a situation? First of all, it is necessary to determine what is causing the increased daytime sleepiness and, if possible, eliminate this source.
First of all, it is necessary to eliminate those factors that a person can correct on his own.
- If he has a sedentary job, it would be a good idea to periodically set a goal for himself that would allow him to get up from his work place and move a little. If possible, it is worth doing a series of invigorating physical exercises.
- Review your diet. Minimize consumption of fast food, flour products and other "harmful food". It is the quality of nutrition that is the main catalyst for drowsiness after lunch.
- It is also worth monitoring your weight. Excess kilograms add stress to the human body, quickly depleting its strength, leading to fatigue and a desire to rest, replenish your energy and internal reserves.
- Daytime sleepiness can also be caused by a lack of oxygen in a room where people spend a long time. Therefore, you should not neglect periodic ventilation, even if it is twenty degrees below zero outside.
To understand how deep the problem is, you need to answer a number of questions for yourself and evaluate the test results.
When answering questions, you need to decide on an answer that will bring a certain number of points to the total:
Not once – 0 points; very rarely – 1 point; moderate number of times – 2 points; quite often – 3 points.
Now try to answer these questions for yourself:
- Are you able to fall asleep while sitting on a sofa or armchair, for example, while watching a TV program?
- While reading a periodical or a book.
- Have you ever experienced bouts of drowsiness while in a public place: at a university lecture, in a movie theater, during a meeting, or at a conference with your boss?
- How much can a person switch off when falling asleep during a long trip, for example, in a car (more than an hour) or a bus. Naturally, this question concerns passengers, not the driver of the vehicle.
- Are you able to fall asleep quickly if you lie down on a horizontal surface after a heavy lunch or dinner?
- Have there been cases when a person fell asleep right in the middle of a conversation with his interlocutor?
- If the environment is quiet and calm, is it possible to fall asleep at lunchtime (no alcoholic beverages were consumed).
- Is there a need to fall asleep during the day if a person is driving, waiting for a passenger, or stuck in a traffic jam?
Having calculated the points, you can independently assess how acute the problem is, which is expressed by increased drowsiness.
- If the total score exceeds 20 points, we can talk about a fairly serious problem with daytime sleep, which is the result of exhaustion of the central nervous system. In this case, it is unlikely that you will be able to cope with the situation on your own. The result will be better if you seek help from a doctor. A doctor - a therapist, endocrinologist or neurologist can help with this.
- If the results of the calculations fall within the range of 15 to 20 points, you should not calm down. It is advisable to undergo an examination and enlist the support of a doctor - a neurologist or a somnologist.
- The test indicators mark a figure of less than 15 points, they say from a moderate stage of the problem with daytime sleep. This result may indicate systematic lack of sleep of the patient, as well as too high physical, psychological or emotional stress on the body of the tested person. In such a situation, it may be enough to review your daily routine, a balanced alternation of loads and rest, so that the problem is solved.
Increased sleepiness in a child
Our children are the same people, only small. And they can be affected by the same health problems as adults, with the rare exception of the sources that provoke them. Let's try to understand why a child becomes overly sleepy and how can we help the baby in this situation?
First of all, you should analyze the baby's daily routine more carefully. At each specific age, children should spend a certain amount of time in bed. After all, the child's body is not yet fully formed and does not yet have the vitality that an adult body has. The child's nervous system is not yet perfect.
Reasons that cause drowsiness in children and are related to their lifestyle include:
- Lack of sleep in the baby. As studies show, children under the age of twelve should sleep at night for at least 9-10 hours. If this fact is not met, fatigue gradually accumulates, the baby begins to be capricious, feeling broken. Memory and concentration also deteriorate, babies become absent-minded.
- A similar result can be achieved with excessive mental stress, for example, heavy workloads at school and numerous homework assignments that take up the lion's share of home time, limiting rest time.
- Increased physical activity. Excessive passion for sports or overwhelming household chores.
- Irrational diet: passion for fast food, diet poor in vitamins, minerals and microelements.
- A lifestyle that does not involve active physical activity.
- Extra kilograms. Unfortunately, this problem of modern society has significantly affected the child population of the planet. This mainly concerns, oddly enough, highly developed countries.
- Sometimes these symptoms may appear as a result of a long illness, when the child's body is exhausted by the fight against the disease and tries to regain its lost strength. In children, such diseases are most often infectious pathologies: tonsillitis, viral infections, flu, mononucleosis, allergies and others.
- Low levels of hemoglobin in the blood of a small patient can also provoke drowsiness.
- Unfortunately, a baby may also be diagnosed with low blood pressure.
- Thyroid dysfunction.
- Renal dysfunction.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Congenital heart defect.
In adolescence, in addition to the above-mentioned reasons, astheno-neurotic reasons may also be added.
- It's the fear of getting a bad grade.
- Fear of school problems, including relationships with peers and teachers.
- Anxiety before an important exam.
- Depressive state from unrequited first love or parents' divorce.
- Other similar reasons.
It is worth paying special attention if drowsiness is observed in infants, especially if the birth was difficult. The cause of infant drowsiness may be medications that the mother received during the birth process, improper introduction of complementary foods or improper attachment to the breast.
Young parents should be alerted by the following symptoms in a newborn:
- The baby's crying noticeably weakens.
- The skin covering the fontanelle on the head of a newborn is slightly sunken.
- The baby's mucous membrane is not moist enough.
- If you pinch a baby's skin slightly, it will not straighten out for a long time.
- Body temperature readings show elevated figures.
- The baby pees very little, which means that the main signs of dehydration and intoxication of the body are observed.
Against this background, the baby is overcome by drowsiness and weakness. To establish the cause of this condition, you should immediately consult a doctor - a pediatrician and undergo a full examination.
Increased sleepiness in the elderly
Often, increased sleepiness in older people causes bewilderment and a reason for jokes among young people. But no one really thinks about what causes such a picture?
The sleep procedure is a necessary process, thought out by nature, against the background of which a living organism accumulates the forces spent during the period of wakefulness. It is the body's defense system against excessive loads (both physical and emotional). Our brain especially needs rest. Mainly during sleep, the body not only recovers, but also fights diseases as much as possible. It is for this reason that the patient is prescribed bed rest, and the body itself, needing help, by showing drowsiness makes a person go to bed and rest.
This problem is especially acute for elderly people. An elderly person may want to sleep almost every minute, constantly sniffling, which brings many unpleasant moments into their lives.
If such attacks occur in a person over 60 periodically, then he should take a closer look at his daily routine and diet, and also, listening to the body's signals, try to analyze and identify the cause. After finding it, it will be enough to eliminate it in order to get rid of or at least partially reduce the intensity of drowsiness.
- Sometimes people around you can observe the fact that elderly people go to bed early enough, but wake up in the middle of the night and are unable to fall asleep again for a very long time. Such a night does not bring rest in the morning. A person wakes up "broken" and tired. You can also observe the involuntary transformation of "former owls" into "larks" who get up early, from 5 - 7 o'clock in the morning they are already on their feet. Constant lack of sleep does not add health to elderly people, but their nervous system, immune status, and general condition of the body suffer significantly. It is this factor that provokes the body to "ask" its owner to sleep more, catching every convenient minute.
- The state of the body, including the one causing drowsiness, is also affected by the mental balance of old people. After all, they worry about their children and grandchildren, their elderly spouse, their health, which does not allow them to do what was easily accessible before, and so on. They cannot fall asleep for a long time, trying to solve this or that problem, often spending all or part of the night without sleep.
- Nutrition can also cause drowsiness. Metabolic processes in the body begin to slow down over time, and problems with blood composition appear: low hemoglobin, sugar levels and other components in the blood. Old people need a complete diet rich in vitamins and easy to digest. Modern pensions do not provide such an opportunity. A pensioner is not able to independently, without the support of loved ones, buy a sufficient amount of meat, vegetables and fruits. A lack of nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of the body causes rapid fatigue and a desire to lie down, saving strength.
- But drowsiness can also be caused by the opposite problem – excessive food consumption, extra pounds and obesity, which “pulls” along with it many pathological diseases.
All household members need to be more attentive to their elderly relatives. They deserve it!
At the same time, one should not sit idly by, but rather try, if possible, to eliminate the catalysts of the problem and improve the sleep of the elderly.
- It is worth limiting their physical activity, but not limiting their motor activity. Movement is life. More movement means better sleep, and, consequently, a higher overall tone of the body.
- Old people should spend a sufficient amount of time outdoors. Leisurely walks before bed and airing the room (sleeping with the window open) significantly improve the situation with falling asleep and the sleep itself.
- Monitor your diet. It should be complete. Do not overeat or starve. The last meal should be no later than two hours before the planned bedtime.
- You should not drink a lot of liquid shortly before going to bed. This can lead to swelling and the need to spend time in the toilet instead of in bed.
- Try to develop a routine when the elderly person can lie down and rest during the daytime.
- Before going to bed, you can try drinking some mint tea, warm milk or honey water.
- If your health allows, you can take a bath with sea salt or an infusion of soothing herbs before going to bed.
- Eliminate bad habits: smoking and alcohol only upset the nervous system, aggravating the negative situation.
- It is advisable to eliminate or reduce the consumption of coffee and coffee drinks, strong tea.
- Sleepiness can also be caused by a lack of sunlight. In the cold season, this can be compensated for by a daylight lamp (an incandescent lamp will not work).
But if the feeling of sleep practically does not pass and is not connected with the problems mentioned above, the reason for the uncomfortable situation may be one of the numerous diseases. But in this case, it will not be possible to do without the help of a doctor. A thorough examination of the body of an old person and the adoption of adequate means and methods to stop the problem are necessary. Polysomnography can help in establishing a diagnosis - a method of functional diagnostics, which allows you to obtain the main characteristics of the work of the human brain during night sleep.
Increased sleepiness during pregnancy
Conception, pregnancy and birth of a child are the most important omens for a woman. During this period, the body of the expectant mother undergoes many different kinds of physiological transformations, adapting to its new status. This restructuring is often accompanied by some, not always pleasant, deviations from the normal state. Increased sleepiness during pregnancy is also quite common, which can be called the norm of this condition.
Usually, such a symptom occurs in a pregnant woman in the early stages of bearing a child. The need for sleep, that is, for additional strength and energy, arises as a protective reaction of the female body to more intense loads that the body now has to endure. After all, during this period, it experiences double the load, so a good rest will not hurt it.
Also during sleep, the woman's nervous system is protected and rests, which is important in her condition, since she is essentially in a constant state of stress. Lack of sleep and inadequate rest during this period can lead to difficult pregnancy, poor condition of the pregnant woman, and deviations from the norm of embryonic development.
What exactly causes the symptoms in question? Increased fatigue and drowsiness in pregnant women are caused by high levels of progesterone, a hormonal component of the female body that is responsible for maintaining and maintaining the normal course of pregnancy. Its excessive amount relaxes smooth muscles, has a calming effect on the receptors of the central nervous system, which leads to drowsiness, partial apathy, and a desire to lie down and rest.
Having sorted this out, there is only one piece of advice that can be given. If a pregnant woman's body requires sleep, it should not be "denied" this. It is worth extending nighttime sleep, and if necessary, introducing daytime sleep.
If the increased desire to sleep haunts a pregnant woman during the second trimester of pregnancy, then such a symptom cannot always be perceived as normal. Perhaps the body of a woman carrying a baby is burdened with anemia - a condition that develops against the background of a reduced content of hemoglobin or red blood cells in the blood.
If nausea, headaches, and vision problems are added to these symptoms, the situation becomes even more problematic, as it may indicate the development of gestosis in the body of the expectant mother. This is a rather dangerous disease that occurs in a pregnant woman in the later stages. It is expressed by a discrepancy in the work of almost all vital organs, especially the vascular system and blood flow. Such a clinical picture is a threat to both the life of the unborn baby and the woman herself.
If such symptoms appear, you must immediately notify your obstetrician-gynecologist who is monitoring the course of your pregnancy.
During normal pregnancy, drowsiness should disappear in the second trimester of pregnancy, and the woman's well-being should improve. But immediately before childbirth (in the last weeks), drowsiness may return. At this stage of pregnancy, this symptom is associated with a deterioration in the quality of sleep, which is due to the fact that the fetus already has significant weight, while it is highly active, which increases the load on the mother's spine, thereby causing pain.
If a pregnant woman has persistent sleep disorders, it would not hurt to consult a somnologist. It is especially difficult for working women who do not have the opportunity to lie down and sleep in the middle of the working day. It is not recommended to use coffee or strong tea, or other energy drinks to perk up. In such a situation, experts recommend taking periodic breaks from work and regularly airing the room. Light warm-up exercises and walks outside will not hurt.
Who to contact?
What to do if you feel excessively sleepy?
Before answering the question of what to do with increased sleepiness, it is necessary to understand and correctly assess the cause leading to exhaustion of the nervous system. Only then can you answer the question that has arisen and take adequate measures.
If neurasthenia leads to such a clinical picture, the attending physician usually prescribes medications that activate the blood flow in the vessels and capillaries, improve the nutrition of brain cells, and increase the energy balance of brain structures. The drugs of this group carry out general strengthening measures. The doctor can prescribe one of the following drugs: nootropil, lucetam, piramem, cavinton, memotropil, cerebril, nootobril, piratropil, escotropil, stamin, noocetam, piracetam, pyrabene.
A cyclic derivative of gamma-aminobutyric acid, the drug nootropil is prescribed for oral and parenteral administration in a daily dosage calculated at 0.03-0.16 g per kilogram of the patient's weight.
Parenterally, that is, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract, it is prescribed in situations where oral administration is impossible. The dosage of the drug with this type of administration corresponds to the amount recommended above. The drug is taken with a sufficient amount of liquid. The number of daily administrations is from two to four.
For children, this dosage is calculated as 3.3 g per day, divided into two doses or 4 ml of a 20% solution twice a day. The duration of the course of treatment is prescribed by the attending physician strictly individually.
Contraindications to the use of nootropil may include individual intolerance to the components of the drug by the patient's body. As well as in the case of hemorrhagic stroke (an acute form of cerebrovascular accident), terminal stage renal dysfunction, the age of small patients up to one year (with parenteral administration of the solution) and up to three years (taking the drug in tablets and capsules).
In other cases, it is enough to follow basic preventive rules so that drowsiness does not overtake a person at the most inopportune moment.
- It is necessary to monitor your diet. Food should be energetic, but not heavy. Meals should be balanced in proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and also rich in vitamins and microelements.
- You shouldn't overeat.
- Avoid gaining excess weight.
- The last meal before bedtime should be no less than two hours before bedtime.
- It is necessary to spend enough time outdoors. Regularly ventilate the work area and living rooms. Ideally, a person should sleep with the window open.
- Eliminate hypodynamia from your life. If a person has a sedentary job, he or she should get up and move as often as possible, if possible, doing a few light warm-up movements.
- A good night's sleep is essential.
- After waking up, it wouldn’t hurt to introduce a set of exercises and taking a contrast shower into the habit.
- Make it a rule to take a comprehensive course of vitamins and minerals or plant-based adaptogens two or three times a year. For example, Chinese magnolia vine or eleutherococcus.
- If a person has a history of pathological diseases (affecting the cardiovascular system, liver, kidneys, endocrine system), they should regularly undergo maintenance therapy or stop the disease in a timely manner.
- Get rid of all your bad habits. It is desirable that no one in the family smokes nearby.
- It is advisable to normalize physical activity, the intensity of which should alternate with rest time.
- It is necessary to harden the body.
- Avoid stressful situations.
- You should keep your immune status at a high enough level.
- It wouldn’t hurt to find a hobby that you enjoy: yoga, fitness, dancing, morning jogging, special breathing exercises, and so on.
If you feel sleepy at an inopportune time, you can use some techniques that will help you quickly perk up.
- A cup of sweet strong tea or coffee.
- A walk in the fresh air.
- Acupuncture massage of certain points on the body. For example, knead the point at the base of the conjugation of the thumb and index finger. Another point, called ren-zhong, is located on the upper lip, directly in the central cavity (under the nose), as well as almost the entire surface of the auricles. Their active massage should be carried out for one to two minutes.
But these are only temporary measures. Constant intake of coffee and other stimulants has a detrimental effect on the human body, so you should not get carried away with their use. In the future, it would not be superfluous to undergo an examination and consult a specialist.
If the cause of drowsiness is low atmospheric pressure, cloudy weather, rain, you can try to distract yourself with an interesting activity, an educational book, or fitness or dancing.
The source of drowsiness is magnetic storms; it is necessary to harden your body by practicing walks in nature, or drink a cup of strong coffee (if the state of the human body allows it).
If the environmental situation in the area of permanent residence is poor, it is advisable to take a radical step and change the place of residence, choosing a cleaner area. If this option is not suitable, then it is advisable to install an air purifier (air conditioner with a similar function) in the living space, it is also worth sealing the window openings more carefully.
If the reason for the symptoms in question is a hormonal imbalance, you should undergo an examination. After receiving the results of the examination, the doctor, based on the diagnosis, can prescribe adequate hormonal therapy.
The source of drowsiness is vegetative-vascular dystonia - see a doctor immediately. This disease can be a symptom of a more serious illness, so it is better to play it safe and undergo an examination than to lose precious time and then fight a more serious illness.
Almost all residents of modern megalopolises and large cities are subject to chronic fatigue syndrome. To reduce the severity of the syndrome, it is worth spending more time outdoors on weekends, learning to avoid daily stress, and so on. If necessary, seek help from a qualified specialist.
Life is wonderful. But if it is marred by excessive sleepiness, then it is necessary to fight it. If you want to sleep during the day, but the reason is known - a party that lasted too long the day before, then there is no reason to worry. But if these symptoms appear with noticeable regularity - it is necessary to establish their cause. It may be enough to simply adjust your daily routine, diet and the problem will be successfully solved. But if the cause is a disease that has become a catalyst for drowsiness, then the sooner it is diagnosed, the less effort will have to be made to stop it. In this case, the body will suffer minimal harm.