Published on: 7/4/2025
What medical conditions are known to cause excessive daytime sleepiness?
Excessive daytime sleepiness can be caused by a sleep disorder like sleep apnea. It can also result from other health conditions like depression or hypothyroidism. Besides medical conditions, a person's sleep habits can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness.
Explanation
Excessive daytime sleepiness is when someone feels very sleepy during the day, even if they have had enough hours of sleep at night. Various medical conditions can cause excessive daytime sleepiness.
Some Medical Conditions That Can Cause Excessive Daytime Sleepiness:
- Certain Sleep Disorders: One example of a sleep disorder is called sleep apnea -- this is when breathing stops and starts during sleep, causing poor sleep quality. A common type of sleep apnea is called obstructive sleep apnea, which you can learn more about at https://sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders/obstructive-sleep-apnea/.
- Chronic Pain: Ongoing pain can disturb sleep, leading to daytime sleepiness.
- Health Conditions That Can Cause Fatigue Or Low Energy: Numerous health conditions can cause someone to feel very tired (known as fatigue). For example, one cause of fatigue is anemia, which is when the number of red blood cells in the body is lower than normal. Another example is depression -- when someone is experiencing depression, they can have symptoms including mood changes as well as feeling sleepy and/or lacking energy. A third example is hypothyroidism (when the thyroid does not make enough thryoid hormone, which results in various symptoms including feeling tired all the time).
Keep in mind that a person's sleep habits may also contribute to feeling tired during the day. Sleeping at least 7 hours per day is recommended for most adults. Caffeine and/or alcohol near bedtime can also impair sleep at night. More information about healthy sleep habits is available at https://sleepeducation.org/healthy-sleep/healthy-sleep-habits/.
A healthcare provider can provider a personalized medical assessment to determine why you or someone you know may be experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness. The appropriate medical treatment plan will depend on the cause of these symptoms. Also, if you or someone you know has mental health questions or concerns, some more help is available at 988lifeline.org.
(References)
- Gandhi KD, Mansukhani MP, Silber MH, & Kolla BP. (2021). Excessive Daytime Sleepiness: A Clinical Review. Mayo Clinic proceedings, 33840518.
- Pagel JF. (2009). Excessive daytime sleepiness. American family physician, 19275068.
- Pérez-Carbonell L, Mignot E, Leschziner G, & Dauvilliers Y. (2022). Understanding and approaching excessive daytime .... Lancet (London, England), 36115367.
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