Everybody has done "the chicken" in a class or meeting. You know, the classic head bob of a person trying to stay awake while his boredom or lack of sleep from that all-night bender is catching up with him. Everyone has days where they are just worn out and need rest, but drowsiness is more than that. It's feeling seriously tired and unable to keep yourself awake. Feeling this drowsy isn't generally an illness on its own but an indicator of something bigger going on with your body. Possibilities range from emotional state, to sleep disorders, to head injuries. Figuring out what's happening with you specifically is the crucial first step in treatment and getting your bright eyes and bushy tail back. In the case of drowsiness due to concussion, seizures, or drastic changes in mental state (confusion, delusions, etc.), get medical help immediately.
Treating Your Drowsiness
Before you can treat your drowsiness, you need a diagnosis of the cause. In some cases, this will be easy. Maybe you're working double shifts, or flipping between day and night shifts, which is sure to confuse your body's sleep schedule and cause extreme fatigue. Maybe you're on new medication for another condition, and that is making you fall asleep unpredictably. If you have no idea where this overwhelming need to sleep came from, it's probably an undiagnosed sleep disorder or other medical condition. A visit to your doctor will be necessary to best diagnose the problem and find a solution.
Mild causes of drowsiness may be curable at home. But then again, they might not be, depending on a few things. If your excessive sleepiness is due to a strange sleep schedule, there are several things you can try, listed in the sidebar, to fix it. Emotional triggers are more complicated. Some people can work through stress, grief, and mild depression on their own. Others might benefit by talking to a therapist, or a psychiatrist can prescribe medication to get you feeling better and back to normal sleeping habits. Emotional effects vary greatly between people; your doctor will know best.
If you just went on new medication, that could be to blame. Many kinds of meds have drowsiness as a side effect, or it could be the combination of medicines you're taking. If this is the case, talk to your doctor about the sleepiness, and don't stop taking or change your medication until then. Your doctor prescribed it to you for a reason, and he or she will know what kind of alternative meds you can take that won't put you to sleep. Until this problem is solved, avoid activities like driving for the safety of yourself and others.
Not sleeping through the night might be making you fall asleep during the day. The culprit here could be a sleeping disorder. Sleep apnea is when you briefly stop breathing in the middle of the night, which may awaken you. Insomnia also makes nighttime slumbers a battle. Narcolepsy can knock you out at any time. Your doctor will probably ask you to do a sleep study or other diagnostic tests to pinpoint the problem if any of these are suspected; only after this can the proper treatment begin.
Drowsiness is a often a symptom of other (potentially serious) medical conditions. Dangerous levels of sodium in the body, either too much or too little, is known as hypernatremia or hyponatremia, and can do a lot of damage if left untreated. It is the same with hypothyroidism, a hormonal imbalance, and hypercalcemia, too much calcium in your system. Drowsiness is a symptom of all of these, and if you leave them untreated, they can cause you all kinds of problems from a coma to heart disease. Your doctor will know best how to steer you away from such complications.
Some conditions require emergency medical attention. If drowsiness has come on suddenly due to a head injury, seizure, confused or delirious behavior, unresponsiveness, severe headache, and/or neck pain, quit reading this and get to an emergency room. These are all signs of serious conditions that might cause significant, possibly permanent, neurological damage, or even death. Many illnesses get better with some rest, but these definitely do not, so don't just take some aspirin, go to sleep, and see how you feel in the morning.
Your doctor is your best bet for diagnosis and treatment.
You may have noticed a theme throughout this whole topic, which is to get to your doctor. If you're trying to keep yourself healthy but still find yourself frequently wanting to pass out at inappropriate times, you have to admit that isn't normal. Pretty much only infants are allowed to be asleep more than they are awake on a regular basis and still be considered healthy. If you're sleeping like a baby (in the sense of drifting off no matter what else is going on), that's probably not a good sign. You can try drinking gallons of coffee throughout the day to fend off sleepiness, but it does not take care of the root of the problem, which will probably cause you more trouble down the line—and you'll probably have to pee every ten minutes, which would be annoying, too.
