These are the causes of frequent sleepiness that you need to know

Frequent sleepiness can be caused by various things, from lack of sleep, fatigue, to certain diseases. Tsleep as important as eat and drink for our body. FactsMany of us experience sleep deprivation or experience sleep disturbances.

The disadvantage of lack of sleep or often sleepy is prone to make mistakes in work or activities because it interferes with concentration. In addition, sleep disturbances also have the potential to increase a person's risk of developing depression and anxiety disorders.

In daily activities, a person also becomes more at risk of making mistakes and making inappropriate decisions. That is why often sleepy due to lack of sleep is often one of the causes of injuries at work and traffic incidents.

Age-appropriate Sleep Needs

The body's need to rest during sleep varies, according to a person's age. Based on various medical studies, the following are the recommended sleep needs according to age, namely:

  • Adults aged 65 years and over need between 7-8 hours of sleep.
  • Teenagers to adults in the age range of 18-64 years, need an ideal sleep time of 7-9 hours.
  • School children aged between 6-17 years, need between 9-11 hours of sleep.
  • Preschoolers, who are generally 3-5 years old, need 10-13 hours of sleep.
  • For toddlers aged 1-2 years, the need for sleep is between 11-14 hours.
  • Babies aged 4-11 months, need 12-15 hours to sleep.
  • Newborns to 3 months old, need between 14-17 hours of sleep.

Rarely Mentioned Causes of Drowsiness

Some people may often sleepy due to many reasons, such as: jetlag, little sleep due to a busy schedule, after meals, or shifting work hours that require your body to fight against normal sleep cycles. However, some people may experience sleep disturbances.

Sleep disorders that generally make many people sleepy while on the move are insomnia and insomnia sleep apnea (condition of disturbed breathing during sleep). In addition to these two diseases, some of the problems below are also often the cause of a person's lack of sleep. Among them:

  • Depression

    One of the symptoms of depression is often sleepy. In addition, people who are depressed can also feel less energy, lose their enthusiasm for life, lose interest and interest in carrying out activities that were previously a hobby, feel anxious, and even have suicidal ideation.

  • Consumption of alcoholic beverages

    Alcohol in certain levels can make a person sleepy. But make no mistake, the long-term impact can actually disrupt sleep patterns and will make a person often sleepy because the quality and hours of sleep are disturbed. Research shows that those who frequently consume alcohol in the long term have shorter sleep time, poor sleep quality, and are more likely to wake up at night.

  • Restless leg syndrome or restless leg syndrome (RLS)

    One of the causes of frequent drowsiness due to disturbed sleep is restless legs syndrome or restless leg syndrome (RLS). This syndrome is a disorder that causes a person to get an irresistible urge to move their legs while lying down. When this syndrome appears, a person tends to feel something crawling along with pain or even pain in the leg area. As a result of moving the legs continuously, in the end a person experiences a restless sleep. When you wake up in the morning, your body feels weak and lacks enthusiasm.

  • Narcolepsy

    Another symptom of narcolepsy is the sudden feeling of weakness in your muscles when you are excited to fall. Paralysis during sleep can also be an indication of someone suffering from acute narcolepsy. Sleep paralysis is usually a condition in which a person is unable to move the body during sleep or when awakened from sleep. Another symptom of narcolepsy is vivid dreams that seem real or hallucinations while sleeping or just waking up.

  • Parasomnia

    Parasomnias are abnormal behaviors experienced when a person is sleeping. Some of the behaviors that are included in the parasomnia are sleepwalking, sleep talking, banging the head while sleeping, and feeling afraid at night. This behavior can cause a sleeping person to wake up and sit in a panic, throw a punch in the air blindly, or scream. This disorder is also associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

In order not to be sleepy while undergoing various activities, the above sleep disorders must be treated. Do not hesitate to consult a doctor if the sleep disturbances experienced do not go away despite trying to overcome them.