10 Common Sleep Disorders
Common Sleep Disorder #3: Daytime Sleepiness
While it is normal to experience some sleepiness especially in the afternoon, excess sleepiness during the day is a serious sleep disorder that can lead to accidents including fatalities. Excessive daytime sleepiness, also called EDS, has been linked to serious accidents including the Challenger Shuttle explosion, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
EDS has no known specific cause. EDS results from another medical condition like obesity, depression, epilepsy, restless leg syndrome and substance abuse, narcolepsy, sleep apnea and insomnia. Some cases of excessive daytime sleepiness may have a genetic component. Treatment of EDS depends on its underlying cause. In some cases, getting a little more sleep may be all you need.
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