The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

Why Is My Brain Confused About Sleep?

by Stephanie
(Lincoln, NE)

I am a 40-year-old female diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia 3 years ago.


I don't understand how I can technically be asleep but still remain standing, participate in conversations, work and drive.

How do I get my brain to understand that the entire body needs to be asleep?

Thanks

Kevin's Thoughts

Dear Stephanie,

Can you explain a little more about your condition and how it affects you? What I know of idiopathic hypersomnia is that it involves sleeping very excessively but does not usually involve sudden instances of falling asleep, like narcolepsy does. You say you are asleep while standing, talking, working, and even driving. Can you elaborate a little more about what these experiences are like for you?

Feel free to do so using the "Post Comments" link just below.

Warmly,
Kevin

Comments for Why Is My Brain Confused About Sleep?

Click here to add your own comments

Aug 27, 2010
 Hypersomnia
by: Stephanie

Kevin,

Thank you for replying to my question. To elaborate a bit, hypersomnia without long sleep means I sleep very little at night and have excessive daytime somnnolence.

Like narcolepsy, I can fall asleep at any moment without warning. I guess they would be called micro-sleeps.

My neurologist diagnosed my sleep disorder after a 3-day video EEG to test for epilepsy.

According to the EEG, I am technically asleep, but I can still participate in conversations, continue to type, continue to drive, continue to sit up and freak out the nurse by having my eyes open while under anesthesia.

My sleep disorder has now developed into sleep walking and sleep eating parasomnias. I just can't figure out why my brain is confused about sleep.

After trying approximately 20 different drugs to get me to sleep and stay asleep, I am now being referred to the Minnesota Sleep Disorder Center. I'm not confident they will provide anything beyond a huge bill, an anti-depressant script (every doctor's favorite response) and a sleep hygiene brochure.

So, I'm doing my own research to try and find some answers.

Thanks!
Aug 29, 2010
 Micro-Sleeps
by: Kevin

Thanks for elaborating Stephanie. Micro-sleeps brought on by extreme sleep deprivation can be a very frustrating and hard to avoid thing (and dangerous if they are occurring in high-risk situations, such as driving). I wish I could provide some more useful information for you on your "brain's confusion about sleep", but nothing is coming to mind from my experience. I'll think on it and let you know if anything does end up coming to mind. In the meantime, please do let me know if you end up finding out anything significant on your end, whether from your research or the sleep center if you decide to go (and may your doctor be an insightful risk taker rather than someone who just plays it safe and tells you what you've already heard a million times!). I'd be very interested to know.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Sleep Questions and Answers.



Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

Track Your Own Sleep With Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.