Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, a Consultant in Psychiatry at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, discusses his article appearing in the May 2021 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, where he finds that about one third of all adults experience daytime sleepiness. He examines the common causes, shares algorithms for diagnosis, and offers treatment options. He notes excessive daytime sleepiness is a highly prevalent condition with significant morbidity; that excessive daytime sleepiness can result from insufficient sleep, primary sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or central disorders of hypersomnolence, or can be secondary to medication use, underlying medical or psychiatric illnesses; that evaluation of excessive daytime sleepiness involves taking a comprehensive history, conducting a focused exam and utilizing appropriate clinical testing, and when excessive daytime sleepiness is secondary to other causes, they should be identified and treated; and finally, that central disorders of hypersomnolence require specialized pharmacological management.
Available at: https://mayocl.in/3lGBcfO