Hypersomnia

[Lunawryn]

There are a lot of medications and tips for insomnia, but are there any for hypersomnia (too much sleep)? Preferably tips over medication. Recently I went through a period of oversleeping and it made a mess of my school work. I think it was... 26 hours of sleep, 24 awake, 30 sleep, 4 awake, 27 sleep... After that I lost track. It was raining for most of that time, which confuses me because rain has always increased my energy levels. Any thoughts?

[Jennings]

Interesting, how did you manage to remain awake long enough to submit this posting? It might be wise to avoid the topic of medication as this is hardly the proper forum to do so. Young people, and I take it that you are reasonably young, often find it easy to sleep for long hours. Necessity or self-discipline can achieve wonders. Prior to sleep just think of waking at a certain time, say after 8 hours and feeling refreshed and rising to face the day happily; just think of it without the use of any strong emotional desire and see what happens.

[Lunawryn]

The reason I mentioned medication is because when I do searches on the board for sleeping disorders it seems that all of the answers are to use medication. I dislike medication myself so I wanted to make a note about preferring other types of solutions.

Technically I have a double sided insomnia. Sometimes I sleep too much and sometimes I don't sleep at all. The longest I've stayed awake was 10 nights in a row and the longest I've slept was 30 hours straight. Most of the time it takes me 3-12 hours to get to sleep and then I sleep for 10-15 hours. I tend to get really worried when something unusual happens, like my recent problem, because it can really badly affect my mental and emotional states.

I'm not terribly young, I turned 21 in October. I do still need at least 10 hours of sleep to feel refreshed though. I tend to wake up at about the 10 hour mark if I'm in good condition, 12 if I've been a bit tired. I've tried telling myself that I need to wake up early or at a certain time, but it only seems to allow me to hear the alarm clock or keep me awake the whole night. The reason I was awake yesterday and am today is because a nightmare woke me up. My head hurts @_X.

[Jennings]

You may feel not so young but relatively you are indeed young but at this stage to your life physically, emotionally, and mentally, you should be at your peak; you should be feeling like Tarzan (or Jane, if you are female; it is not easy to tell; no offence intended). Many students around your age are similarly heavy sleepers and it is only their inner urges or social pressures that drive them and get them out of bed.

I wonder if your problem could be diet related? Read the articles (if you have not already done so) on, 'The Truth About Saturated Fat' also Online Nutritional Information and Nutritional Facts - Second Opinions, UK. Read too about high blood sugar and its affect and that too of goitrogenic foods, as starters. You could be surprised how our food profoundly affects our health.

[Lunawryn]

I kinda hope I'm not at my peak physically, lol. I feel more like the tree that Tarzan slammed into. My roommate likes to joke that nuclear weapons firing couldn't even wake me up ><. I am aware of how badly diet can affect our health and I know that my diet does negatively affect mine. I'm pretty sure that my constant low energy levels are directly correlated to my diet. However, I've had my double bladed insomnia for pretty much all of my life. My mom can't even remember when it started. I wouldn't expect a diet problem to start so early in life or last so long especially with the hormone fluxes and growth spurts in the middle. Correct me if I'm wrong though. My diet has gotten worse rather than better as I've gotten older and my eating habits are a mess because of my sleeping schedule. I'd be more likely to relate my sleeping to genetics at this point, but I haven't heard of anyone in my family having this problem.

Just a quick question since I won't get to read the articles until a bit later (homework to do in a bit). My sleeping habits are unnatural, but over time they've gotten somewhat predictable. If they suddenly get unpredictable, they affect my eating habits quite badly. Isn't that kinda of inefficient for the body? If the body is lacking or excessing in something, I can understand it trying to regulate, sure. If it swings into hypersomnia though, it's completely shutting down it's food and liquid intake and vice versa with insomnia. That certainly isn't healthy and it takes a heavy toll on the body because it goes through cycles of over and under eating during each sleeping irregularity. I almost feel like my sleep is affecting my diet rather than my diet affecting my sleep x_x.

[Jennings]

It is probably the other way around, your diet could be affecting your sleep pattern and indeed could have done so since infancy. It is a possibility and it is worth experimenting to test it. Too many carbohyrates on a regular long-term basis can have an adverse effect but cruciferous vegetables in particular are suspected of suppressing the thyroid which could make you lethargic and tired. Have a read at the following article which might just help: Fatigue. One of the body's natural fuels for energy, which is contrary to all the hype that one reads, are saturated fats. Our species has been consuming it for eons of time and it also helped our forebearers to survive the 10,000 year Ice Age and especially the continental races. Inuits who do not suffer from heart problems because of their high intake of polyunsaturated fats do not live into old age due to a high incidence of embolisms. Polyunsaturated fats are potent immunosuppressors in addition to doing other harm. Most processed foods are nutrient deficient. If I add any more on the adverse affect of common foods it will probably worry you so much that you won't be able to sleep. Experimenting with your diet should pay dividends healthwise.

[dhaxelbarqs@yahoo.com]

Medication is the last resort. You should see a doctor and ask how you can manage it without taking medication.