Excessive sleep

Oversleep is a pathological increase of absolute sleep time of ± 25%. The causes of chronic oversleeping are mass occupying lesions involving the hypothalamus or upper brainstem, increased intracranial pressure, excessive application or abuse of hypnotics or certain illegal drugs, or certain types of encephalitis. It can also be used as a symptom of depression. Acute, relatively short duration of hypersleep is often a companion symptom of acute systemic diseases such as influenza. In addition, hypothyroidism, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, anemia, uremia, hypercapnia, hypercalcemia, liver failure, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis can also cause excessive sleep. Patients with sleep apnea syndrome often have compensatory daytime sleepiness. Kleine-Levin syndrome, also known as narcolepsy, is an extremely rare condition that occurs in adolescent boys and manifests as recurrent episodes of excessive sleep and overeating.

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