Hypersomnia vs. Narcolepsy: Differences Explained

Understanding sleep disorders can be challenging, especially when symptoms overlap between different conditions. Hypersomnia and narcolepsy are two such disorders that often confuse individuals seeking answers. While both conditions involve excessive daytime sleepiness, their underlying causes, symptoms, and treatments differ significantly.

This article will explore these distinctions in detail, shedding light on what sets hypersomnia apart from narcolepsy. By clarifying these differences, we aim to help you identify the proper diagnosis and treatment plan, leading to better sleep health management.

What Is a Sleep Disorder?

“Sleep disorder” is the medical term for a wide range of physical and mental conditions that strongly impact our natural, healthy sleep cycles. Sleep is centrally important to our well-being as humans, so major interruptions to our ability to get regular sleep can have huge, impactful effects on a person’s daily life.

These disorders are often categorized either by their effects on sleep or their root causes. There are a range of actual symptoms and effects associated with sleep disorders, including:

Interruptions to breathing
Excessive moving during sleep
Clenching or grinding teeth
Disruptions to the REM cycle
Sleepiness during the day
Difficulty falling asleep

Narcolepsy vs. Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia and narcolepsy are both sleep disorders associated with excessive daytime sleepiness and, thus, have a great deal in common. Let’s examine the things that differentiate them.

Symptoms

As mentioned, the main symptom is extreme sleepiness during the day. This difficult-to-fight urge to sleep occurs even when the affected individual gets healthy or excessive sleep. Both conditions also share a range of lesser side effects associated with not getting proper rest – irritability, headaches, low energy, slower cognitive abilities, and the like.

In addition, hypersomnia frequently causes the patient to sleep more than 10 hours a day, noticeable difficulty waking up in the morning, and sleep paralysis. Perhaps the most frustrating symptom, however, is a condition where napping during the day does not refresh the patient and can even make them feel worse or more tired.

Differences in Symptoms

Finally, we come to the main difference between these two issues: narcolepsy is essentially a more severe version of hypersomnia. Sufferers of narcolepsy can potentially experience all of the symptoms listed above, as well as unique symptoms such as hallucinations before waking up or falling asleep, and cataplexy.

Causes

The causes of hypersomnia are still, for the most part, unknown. It’s been speculated that it could stem from specific neurotransmitters in the brain, and seems to have a genetic component. In short, while some cases can be understood and explained clearly, most cannot.

Narcolepsy is divided into two specific types. Like hypersomnia, the causes of type 2 narcolepsy are still not well understood by modern medicine, and it tends to appear in a person with little warning.

Type 1 narcolepsy, however, is caused by a lack of the molecule orexin (or hypocretin) in the brain. This chemical is used by neurons in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain necessary for keeping the body awake. This failure of orexin production can have several potential causes: drug use, intersecting mental health conditions, lifestyle, or injury.

Treatment, Management, & Cure

Hypersomnia and Narcolepsy share at least some common treatments with one another. Both ailments can be treated and managed with medication and lifestyle changes, but there is currently no cure.

Hypersomnia is mainly treated with drugs that promote wakefulness, including armodafinil, oxybate, and modafinil, to name a few. Narcolepsy is also treated with these drugs, but depending on the root cause, it can also be treated with antidepressants, antihistamine drugs, or even amphetamines.

Both conditions are also best managed by consciously maintaining healthy, regular sleep hygiene habits such as:

Avoiding caffeine, certain foods, and alcohol
Going to bed at the same time each night
Maintaining a consistent and comfortable sleeping environment

Turn to DreamZz Sleep Center for the Support and Treatment You Need to Manage Your Sleep Disorder

While hypersomnia and narcolepsy both involve excessive daytime sleepiness, they stem from different causes and require distinct approaches for diagnosis and treatment. Recognizing these differences is crucial to obtaining an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan. If you suspect you have either condition, consult a sleep specialist for evaluation.

At DreamZz Sleep Center, we provide the support and treatment you need to manage these sleep disorders. The Dream team is here to answer your questions and schedule a consultation and sleep study within one to two weeks of your initial call.