It Could Be Hypersomnia

About the Hypersomnia Foundation In 2014, the Hypersomnia Foundation was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to advocate, educate, and provide resources for research on behalf of people affected by hypersomnia. Let’s Fill the Seats The Foundation will fulfill this mission by 1. Providing education for people with The Hypersomnia Foundation’s annual hypersomnia, medical professionals, and conference provides opportunities to scientists. learn about the latest in hypersomnia Do you sleep research and treatments. In addition, 2. Representing people with hypersomnia our conference offers a forum for worldwide at medical meetings, professionals and others interested in pharmaceutical companies, sleep-related too much and hypersomnia to interact and connect. organizations, and extramural funding To find out more about past and agencies such as foundations and have difficulty upcoming conferences, please visit the government institutes and councils. Hypersomnia Foundation’s web site at 3. Hosting an annual conference. www.hypersomniafoundation.org waking up or 4. Establishing a hypersomnia patient registry. staying awake? 5. Funding research to identify the cause of and effective treatments for hypersomnia. Won’t you help? Your donation to the To receive the latest information from the Hypersomnia Foundation will help to achieve these goals and ensure a better life for Hypersomnia Foundation, sign up for our free people with hypersomnia. Please donate electronic newsletter Hypersomnia News at online at www.hypersomniafoundation.org. www.hypersomniafoundation.org. Like

The lack of reliable tools and biomarkers to diagnose hypersomnia limits its recognition. Wake-promoting About medications have emerged as the default mainstays of treatment. Advancing recognition, diagnostic accuracy, and Hypersomnia treatment benefits for hypersomnia will come by way of novel diagnostics and treatments Waking up is the hardest thing I do every day. After I finally do wake up, I feel as if I am walking around in a fog.

CONDITIONS IN WHICH HYPERSOMNIA DIAGNOSIS SYMPTOMS ARE CORE FEATURES Overnight polysomnography, followed by • Idiopathic hypersomnia/major a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), is somnolence disorder sensitive in diagnosing potential causes of sleepiness such as • Type 2 narcolepsy (without cataplexy) sleep apnea and Proper • Kleine-Levin syndrome Type 1 narcolepsy. diagnosis is This testing, critical to however, could be CONDITIONS IN WHICH HYPERSOMNIA nondiagnostic for successful SYMPTOMS ARE THOUGHT TO OCCUR other people with treatment • Iron deficiency HYPERSOMNIA SYMPTOMS • Hypothyroidism • Adrenal insufficiency or brain • Carnitine deficiency imaging studies may be necessary and are determined on a case-by-case basis. • Chronic fatigue syndrome • Sleep drunkenness (or confusional arousal) when trying to wake up • Attention deficit disorder TREATMENT Ehlers-Danlos syndrome • Excessive daytime sleepiness • The US Food and Drug Administration • Automatic behavior (talking or • As a side effect of commonly has not approved any treatments for moving without awareness or prescribed or over-the-counter hypersomnia. All medications are recollection) medication therefore prescribed “off label” for • Mental dullness or “brain fog” idiopathic hypersomnia. The search is on for effective treatments for this often- • Trouble concentrating or cognitive debilitating condition. dysfunction