DrowsinessSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Drowsiness
Drowsiness refers to feeling more sleepy than normal during the day. People who are drowsy may fall asleep when they do not want to or at times which can lead to safety concerns.
Sleepiness - during the day; Hypersomnia; Somnolence
Excessive daytime sleepiness (without a known cause) may be a sign of a sleep disorder.
Depression, anxiety, stress, and boredom can all contribute to excessive sleepiness. However, these conditions more often cause fatigue and apathy.
Drowsiness may be due to the following:
- Long-term (chronic) pain
- Diabetes
- Having to work long hours or different shifts (nights, weekends)
- Insomnia and other problems falling or staying asleep
- Changes in blood sodium levels (hyponatremia or hypernatremia)
- Medicines (tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antihistamines, certain painkillers, some psychiatric medicines)
- Not sleeping long enough
- Sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea and narcolepsy)
- Too much calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia)
- Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
You can relieve drowsiness by treating the cause of the problem. First, determine whether your drowsiness is due to depression, anxiety, boredom, or stress. If you are not sure, talk with your health care provider.
For drowsiness due to medicines, talk to your provider about switching or stopping your medicines. But, do nots stop taking or change your medicine without first talking to your provider.
Do not drive when drowsy.
Your provider will examine you to determine the cause of your drowsiness. You will be asked about your sleep patterns and health. Questions may include:
- How well do you sleep?
- How much do you sleep?
- Do you snore?
- Do you fall asleep during the day when you do not plan to nap (such as when watching TV or reading)? If so, do you awake feeling refreshed? How often does this happen?
- Are you depressed, anxious, stressed, or bored?
- What medicines do you take?
- What have you done to try to relieve the drowsiness? How well did it work?
- What other symptoms do you have?
Tests that may be done include:
- Blood tests (such as a CBC and blood differential, blood sugar level, electrolytes, calcium, and thyroid hormone levels)
- CT or MRI scan of the head
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- Sleep studies
- Urine tests (such as a urinalysis)
Treatment depends on the cause of your drowsiness.
Emory Sleep Center
Lynn Trotti is a Sleep Medicine provider practicing medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been practicing medicine for over 23 years. Dr. Trotti is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Drowsiness. She is also highly rated in 13 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Idiopathic Hypersomnia, Drowsiness, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Restless Legs Syndrome, and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Dr. Trotti is board certified in American Board Of Psychiatry And Neurology, 2009.
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Nancy Foldvary is a Neurologist practicing medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She has been practicing medicine for over 42 years. Dr. Foldvary is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Drowsiness. She is also highly rated in 27 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Narcolepsy, Drowsiness, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and Idiopathic Hypersomnia. Dr. Foldvary is board certified in American Board Of Psychiatry And Neurology, 2013.
BIDMC Department Of Neurology
Thomas Scammell is a Neurologist and a Sleep Medicine provider practicing medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Scammell is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Drowsiness. He is also highly rated in 7 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Narcolepsy, Drowsiness, Idiopathic Hypersomnia, and SHORT Syndrome. Dr. Scammell is board certified in American Board Of Psychiatry And Neurology.
Summary: This study is a long-term extension (LTE) of the parent Study ORX750 0201, and will provide long-term open-label safety, tolerability, and efficacy of ORX750 in participants with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1), narcolepsy type 2 (NT2), and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH).
Summary: This is a Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled clinical study to assess the efficacy and safety of HBS-301 in treating idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) symptoms, including excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), sleep inertia, and fatigue in adult participants (ages ≥18 years) with idiopathic hypersomnia (IH). The primary objective of this study is to evaluate ...
Published Date: July 03, 2025
Published By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor Emeritus, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Sharafkhaneh A, Hirshkowitz M. Evaluating sleepiness and fatigue. In: Kryger M, Roth T, Goldstein CA, Dement WC, eds. Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 207.
Vaughn BV, Basner RC. Sleep disorders. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 374.