Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
Sleepiness is a perception of the need to sleep. It can also be considered as the ability to fall asleep. Sleepiness manifests as yawning, eye rubbing, drooping of eyelids, and lapses of attention. The loss of muscle tone in sleep leads to head-nodding if the person is sitting or standing.
Daytime Sleepiness is the inability to remain awake and alert during the day time. If this causes concern or interferes with day-to-day functioning it is considered Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS). When sleepiness occurs only in circumstances that require relatively little attention, it is considered as mild EDS. Sleepiness occurring while engaged in activities that require higher degrees of attention can have dangerous consequences. At times sleepiness can be overwhelming and can occur without warning when it is called a ‘sleep attack’.
It is common to feel a bit groggy immediately upon waking up from sleep. This state of sleep inertia usually lasts only for a few minutes, rarely exceeding 30 minutes. If sleep inertia is severe and lasts longer, it is known as sleep drunkenness. Those with severe sleep inertia find it difficult to wake up from sleep. They may repeatedly fall back asleep, and be irritable, aggressive or confused.
EDS affects up to 25% of the population. it may be caused by inadequate sleep duration, lack of sleep continuity, primary sleep disorders, general medical conditions, side effects of drugs or psychological/psychiatric conditions.
Sleepiness is a contributory factor in 27% of all road traffic accidents and is the sole cause in some 13% of accidents. A lorry driver falling asleep at the wheel causing an accident is the most common cause of accidental death of a person at work. It is also the most common cause of death of another person caused by someone at work. The loss of truck, load and clean-up is estimated to cost an average of £ 1.2 million per accident.
Tiredness and Fatigue
Tiredness is a non-specific term which many people use for ‘fatigue’ and ‘sleepiness’. Fatigue refers to an inability to perform physical exertion at an intensity or for a duration one might expect. There may be associated sense of mental fatigue, lack of attention and concentration and poor memory.
