Sleep (General)

[livingwith]

This condition is rare, but is very life controlling. I had no clue what it was and that I had it. It’s simliar to narcolepsy, but is different.
I’m just a teenager, and many doctors couldn’t come up with a diagnosis. Hypersomnia isn’t something that occurs in most children/teenagers, so they never assumed. But it’s controlling my life.
My life isn’t like many’s. I feel constantly tired, to the point where I would love to go out with my friends but going...Read the full article

[tempname]

Hi

Your submission is the first I have read, so I'm not sure if this helps.

You seem to be describing something I recognise in my son to some extent and also similar to myself.

I had similar symptoms starting at around age 14 and marks fell etc and I had similar challenges u decribed which were not there before my teens. I'm now 46.

I recently went for a sleep test mainly because of my snoring and believing I might suffer from sleep apnea. ie I would have trouble staying awake when driving my car for periods longer than say 30 minutes for example. I never really questioned my work performance or acedemic habits as being related because these issues had been going on since high shool started and I thought it was emotional or psychological.

Anyway, I had my sleep test and I didnt have sleep apnea to a degree considered significant, but i was observed snoring in different sleeping positions. I had apnea 3 times per hour and was told my sleep efficiency was in the 90's. Finally I was scoring in the 90's again in something - lol

anyway i was persistent that something wasnt right when I met with my family doctor , and the sleep department at a local hospital decided to have me come in for a noght of sleep with the CPAP machine. At this point they were responding to my symptoms rather than an identified apnea issue.

They then set up a trial with a CPA machine and I have had this trial machine for almost two months now as it has made a HUGE improvement in my sleep. Now that I am sleeping more deeply and soundly, I am beginning to realise how much of a certain aspect of sleep I was missing and the incredible impact this lack of certain sleep was having on my life. In every aspect.

When I brought home this machine iIwasnt expecting very much except maybe that it would stop my snoring, since they tyold me I wasnt having many apnea experiences. But after a couple nights with this maching I found myself requiring only 6 hrs sleep and waking up before my alram and for the first time in about 33 years able to get up without having to go back to sleep several times etc.

I realise now I was not getting deep sleep and everything from focus, patience, learning, work, communication etc is coming back to how I remembered life before I was 14. When I was 14 BTW doing homework and getting perfect scores on tests in every subject was a given. so was getting up more than early enough to have a complete pre-school morning etc.

Some things such as commincation and patience etc are better of course than back then because over the years I've tried different techniques and self help efforts to work towards a standard I always held for myself but found elusive in respect to my overall performance and compatibility in life

so now in getting more deep sleep Im finding all my goals so much more attainable, consistent and sustainable.

The only thing is recently (with the last week) Ive been finding some of my restful feeling digressing a bit, even though Im still using the machine every night. So Im not sure how permanent this CPAP solution will be in terms of my gaining my ideal sleep levels, but hopefully it will just be a matter of adjustments.

I mention this because I dont beleive you mentioned anything about having used the CPAP machine and I thought it might be worht a try and a drug free solution. As in my case my sleep tests didnt dictate that a CPAP would solve my fatigue issues but it seems to have done just that

p.s. I plan to send my son for a sleep test as well. Alhtough Im told apnea is no hereditary, Ive recenelty learned several of my ousins and an uncle are currently using a CPAP as well and since my sleep issue doesnt seem to be apnea related perhaps ther is something both my son and I suffer from not yet understood but the CPAP treats. andmaybe whatever that is, is hereditray. worht a try anyhow as my son seems to have the very same issues I had/have
good luck

[justinuf2]

Greetings to all!
I've just joined this site,this is my first post.I've tried another forum or two, but they seemed to be primarily about selling CPAP supplies.
Apnea isn't my problem.Hypersomnia is; and it seems to be as confusing,obscure and undocumented as it is debilitating.I was diagnosed in 2007 at age 53.Before then, I enjoyed getting up early, being active, and having a regular night of sleep.However (and there may be signicance here) in 2005 I spent 9 months in a heavy alcoholism relapse, a disease that had been in remission for 15 years.Since then,I have been diagnosed with low testosterone, low B12,and finally the hypersomnia.
10 or more hours of sleep, and 1/2 hour after getting up I'm lying down again.In January I lost a job I had for 12 years because I couldn't rouse myself enough to meet the production standards.
In the time since I was diagnosed, I've been on methylin(Ritalin) 75 mgs. a day, Adderall, Vyvanse and lastly Provigil 400mgs. a day .That was starting to fall off in efficiency, and it's too darned expensive without insurance.Actually,all the drugs are at the dosage levels prescribed.I've done the sleep tests, the sleep doctor visits,the internet surfing, and what little info I've found hasn't had too much encouragement.
Thanks for letting me do a selfcentered vent!The frustration is high on losing my former life abilities, staying unrefreshed, and being treated like a speed addict by pharmacies and insurance companies.
Best wishes to you all