What would your life be like if your body craved sleep- as much as 16 hrs per day? Could you work? What would your family life be like? In America, approximately 5% of the population has this problem-hypersomnia. Hypersomnia is a large group of disorders characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or prolonged nighttime sleep (> 10 hrs/night) over a 3 month period. This condition can have a direct or secondary cause and occurs in men slightly more than women. Symptoms often begin to occur in late teens or early twenties. Hypersomina can be disabling, is poorly understood and the medical understanding of hypersomnia is in its infancy.
There are no known cures for hypersomnia. However, there are treatments (usually medications) that can help the patient to improve their quality of life and have more waking hours. These medications typically fall into three categories: stimulants, non-stimulating, wake –promoting medications and sodium oxybate. The Emory University Sleep Disorders research team has been doing some work using somnogen type medication that appears to influence tha GABA activity. The team also completed a study that examined cerebrospinal fluid in hypersomnia patients which resulted in a breakthrough in determining the cause. The hope is that in the future,with this new information, new rational approaches can be devised for treatments of patients suffering from hypersomnia.
For expertise in this segment, we have tapped Dr. David Rye, and internationally known and respected researcher and leader in this field to lend his expertise and experience to educate listeners and followers about hypersomnia. Listeners can find more information at www.hypersomniafoundation.org.
Dr. David Rye
- Medical Degree from University of Chicago
- Residency in Neurology , University of Chicago Hospital
- Ph.D in Neurobiology, University of Chicago
- Board certified in Psychiatry and Neurology
- Internationally recognized researcher in sleep disorders featured in
- Wall Street Journal, ABC News and CNN
