Tired All The Time Without Coffee

[Rev. Rye]

Honestly, I'm kind of like this: about two years ago, I developed a sort of lethargy and felt constantly sleepy. And bear in mind, I was 25 at the time. And surprisingly, even caffeine did little to alleviate it. The doctors aren't sure what it is, but eventually, one prescribed Nuvigil and it works reasonably well. Sometimes, I still get a bit over-tired (especially in the mornings), but at least I'm not overcome with drowsiness all day long now.

My Son in Law manages two sleep disorder labs and your description fits perfectly what he sees every day. Have you been checked for any kind of sleep disorders? Possibly sleep apnea?

The official diagnosis I've been given is "idiopathic hypersomnia." They have no idea what the cause is, and both my therapist and my psychiatrist have ruled out full-fledged narcolepsy (they have seen full-fledged narcolepsy; in particular, my therapist had a student with narcolepsy who fell asleep during one of her classes), but they do think it might be a lesser form, since, unaided, I can stave off falling asleep with difficulty, even if I end up doing what I can to find somewhere I can fall asleep without bothering anyone. Looking up, Sleep apnea, the symptoms don't seem to fit mine that well. At any rate, the Nuvigil seems to work pretty well at containing it.