What causes drowsiness in an adult. The detrimental effect of daytime sleepiness on the body - alarming symptoms warn of a serious illness. Changes in environmental conditions

A constant feeling of fatigue and drowsiness can significantly affect a person's lifestyle and performance. Such symptoms can indicate both serious diseases, as a result of which the body malfunctions, and external factors that are indirectly related to the problem.

Therefore, if even after a long sleep there is a feeling of fatigue, and during the day you really want to sleep, then you should analyze the situation and, if necessary, seek help from a specialist.

The main causes of chronic fatigue

Causes of fatigue and drowsiness How to get rid of the problem
lack of oxygen Go outside for fresh air or open a window to increase your oxygen supply.
Vitamin deficiency It is necessary to normalize nutrition in order to ensure that the body receives a sufficient amount of nutrients with food. If necessary, you should start taking vitamin complexes or dietary supplements.
Improper nutrition You need to revise the diet, remove fast food from it, eat more vegetables and fruits.
Vegetovascular dystonia It is worth practicing breathing exercises, yoga, using hardening methods.
Weather You need to drink a cup of coffee or green tea and do work that will cheer you up.
Iron-deficiency anemia You need to eat foods rich in iron. If necessary, take iron-containing preparations: Hemofer, Aktiferrin, Ferrum-Lek.
Bad habits Stop drinking alcohol or reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke.
Chronic fatigue syndrome and depression In order to get rid of the problem, you need to change your lifestyle and take tranquilizers prescribed by your doctor.
endocrine disruption To get rid of it, you need to take hormonal drugs.
Diabetes Medications or insulin injections are required.

External factors and lifestyle

Often the cause of constant drowsiness in women can be external factors that affect the body. It can be both natural phenomena and the wrong way of life.

Oxygen

Very often, drowsiness overcomes indoors with a large crowd of people. The reason for this is very simple - lack of oxygen. The less oxygen enters the body, the less it is transported to the internal organs. Brain tissues are very sensitive to this factor and immediately react with headache, fatigue and yawning.

Yawning is a signal that the body is trying to get more oxygen. from the air, but since there is not too much of it in the air, the organism may fail. In order to get rid of drowsiness, you should open a window, a window or just go outside.

Weather

Many people notice that before the rain there is drowsiness and a feeling of fatigue. This is explained quite simply. Before the weather worsens, atmospheric pressure drops, to which the body reacts by lowering blood pressure and slowing the heartbeat, as a result of which the supply of oxygen to the body decreases.

Also, the cause of fatigue and drowsiness during bad weather can be a psychological factor. The monotonous sound of rain, the lack of sunlight are depressing. But most often the problem worries meteorological people.

Magnetic storms

Until recently, magnetic storms were considered an invention of astrologers. But after the appearance of modern equipment, science can observe the state of the sun and report that a new outbreak has occurred on it.

These outbreaks are sources of colossal energy that enters our planet and affects all living things. Sensitive people at such moments experience drowsiness, a feeling of fatigue and weakness. An increase or decrease in blood pressure or an increase in heart rate may also occur.

In order to get rid of unpleasant symptoms, you need to spend more time outdoors and take drugs to normalize blood pressure prescribed by your doctor.

As a prevention of hypersensitivity to magnetic storms, hardening will help.

Place of residence

The human body is very sensitive to climate change. If a person gets to the north, where the amount of oxygen is less than in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bhis usual residence, then he may experience a feeling of fatigue and drowsiness. After the body adapts, the problem will go away by itself.

It is also a problem for residents of megacities, where polluted air is a normal phenomenon. The reduced amount of oxygen in this case causes undesirable side effects.

Lack of vitamins and minerals

Constant fatigue and drowsiness in women may be due to a lack of vitamins in the body. Vitamins are responsible for transporting and obtaining oxygen. To replenish their level, you need to eat right or take additional vitamin complexes.

Vitamins and trace elements, the lack of which causes a feeling of fatigue and drowsiness:


Poor or improper nutrition

Women sitting on rigid mono-diets often complain of poor health, fatigue and drowsiness. This is due to the lack of vitamins and trace elements that must be supplied to the body in sufficient quantities.

Some of them the body is not able to produce on its own and must receive from outside. Therefore, people who want to lose weight should take this fact into account and give preference to diets in which the diet is varied.

Also, the cause of drowsiness can be malnutrition, eating fast food or fatty foods.

To process unhealthy food, the body spends additional energy. This creates an additional load on the digestive system, which negatively affects the work of all organs and in the future can cause a negative reaction in the form of constant fatigue and drowsiness.

Another cause of fatigue and drowsiness in women: overeating, in which the body finds it difficult to cope with the excess amount of food entering the body.

Bad habits

One of the worst habits that can cause you to feel unwell and sleepy is smoking. When nicotine and its accompanying harmful substances enter the body, vasoconstriction occurs, as a result of which blood to the brain begins to flow more slowly. And since it transports oxygen, the brain begins to experience hypoxia (lack of oxygen).

In turn, alcohol negatively affects the liver, as a result of which a person's condition worsens, there is a constant feeling of fatigue and a desire to lie down. Narcotic drugs can also disrupt liver function.

Drugs that cause drowsiness

In some cases, increased drowsiness in women may occur as a side effect after taking medications of various pharmacological groups:


Diseases and the state of the body

In some cases, the cause of drowsiness and constant fatigue can be various disorders in the body.

Hormonal disorders

Women are very dependent on hormonal levels. In addition to drowsiness and feeling unwell, symptoms such as unmotivated aggression, tearfulness, and insomnia may occur. In women, sleep is disturbed, body weight changes and interest in sex is lost. Also, increased hair loss or frequent headaches can indicate hormonal disorders.

There are various causes of hormonal changes, which include:

  • Puberty, in which the reproductive function is formed;
  • Menopause associated with the extinction of reproductive function;
  • Premenstrual period (PMS);
  • Pregnancy;
  • postpartum period;
  • Taking hormonal contraceptives;
  • Frequent stressful situations;
  • Violation of lifestyle and bad habits;
  • Rigid diet;
  • Obesity;
  • Abortions or gynecological diseases;
  • Physical exercise.

Treatment of hormonal disorders depends on the causes of their occurrence. In some cases, it is enough to change your lifestyle or get rid of bad habits.

Hormonal preparations can be prescribed as a medical treatment. But if they themselves cause drowsiness, then it is possible that the drugs are chosen incorrectly and the dose of hormones in them exceeds the required one.

Also, to get rid of hormonal problems, normalization of weight may be necessary., for which a woman should start eating right and make sure that the diet has a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals.

nervous exhaustion

Nervous exhaustion has a huge number of symptoms, so recognizing it is not so easy. It can manifest itself as a violation of intelligence, depression, pain in the heart, tachycardia, jumps in blood pressure, numbness of the limbs and a sharp change in body weight.

Nervous exhaustion is almost always accompanied by a feeling of constant weakness and drowsiness in women.. With this disease, women develop memory problems, they cannot absorb the most elementary information, which negatively affects the quality of life and the work process.

The most common cause of nervous exhaustion is overwork. With this ailment, the body consumes much more energy than it is able to accumulate. Nervous exhaustion occurs as a result of mental and emotional stress, prolonged lack of sleep and the presence of bad habits.

Do not ignore the signs of the disease, since treatment started on time in the future will help to avoid many problems.

In order to get rid of nervous exhaustion, first of all, it is necessary to reduce both the emotional and physical stress on the body. It is worth normalizing nutrition, changing the type of activity and paying special attention to sleep.

Of the medications, nootropics can be prescribed: Nootropil, Pramistar and tranquilizers: Gidazepam, Nozepam. Also useful will be sedatives in the form of valerian or Persen.

Depression

Often the cause of drowsiness is depression, which is classified as a number of mental disorders. In this case, a person develops an oppressed and depressed state. He does not feel joy and is not able to perceive positive emotions.

A person with depression feels tired. Such people have low self-esteem, they lose interest in life and work, and also limit physical activity.

The combination of all these symptoms leads to the fact that in the future such people begin to abuse alcohol, drugs, or even commit suicide.

In order to get rid of depression, you need the help of a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. who may prescribe tranquilizers or sedatives. The support of relatives and friends also plays an important role in this case.

Vegetovascular dystonia

Vegetovascular dystonia is a fairly common diagnosis. At the same time, some doctors consider it not an independent disease, but only a symptom of other problems in the body. In this case, disturbances occur in the autonomic nervous system, which is fraught with dizziness, a feeling of constant fatigue, drowsiness, poor health, fluctuations in arterial and intracranial pressure.

People with vegetovascular dystonia need to harden, strengthen blood vessels and lead a proper lifestyle.

Simply put, the brain, for some, often not established reasons, is not able to properly control the organs. It is almost impossible to get rid of such a problem with the help of drugs. But at the same time, there is a way out. Breathing techniques, massages, swimming, limited physical activity give good results.

Iron-deficiency anemia

Hemoglobin is the component of red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen. This is a complex iron-containing protein that can reversibly bind to oxygen and transport it to tissue cells.

With a lack of iron, a disease such as iron deficiency anemia occurs.

At the same time, the level of hemoglobin is below normal, the person experiences a constant feeling of fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness. This condition often occurs in pregnant women.

For to replenish the level of iron in the body, you need to eat right, eat red meat, offal, buckwheat porridge and vegetables. It is also necessary to pay special attention to cooking, not to overcook the dishes.

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease characterized by an increase in blood sugar levels resulting from inadequate production of insulin by the pancreas.

Diabetes is accompanied by symptoms such as drowsiness, constant fatigue, dry mouth, constant hunger, muscle weakness and severe itching of the skin. At the same time, the disease is fraught with a mass of additional complications, disorders in the work of the cardiovascular system and organs of vision.

High blood sugar levels can be detected by doing a blood test. To do this, you need to donate blood from a finger on an empty stomach and quickly determine the amount of sugar using a test strip and a glucometer.

Endocrine disruptions

Thyroid dysfunction is very often the cause of such symptoms. According to statistics, 4% of the population of our planet suffer from autoimmune thyroiditis. In this case, the immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland.

If you are worried about the constant feeling of fatigue and drowsiness, but there are no chronic diseases, and the rest is long enough, then you must first contact an endocrinologist.

Various tumors of the thyroid gland can also occur, which interfere with its normal functioning. If you suspect a malfunction of the thyroid gland, the doctor may prescribe an ultrasound examination and analysis for hormones.

In the future, the work of the thyroid gland is corrected by taking hormonal drugs. such as L-thyroxine. If the cause of poor health is an inflammatory process, then corticosteroids in the form of Prednisolone may be prescribed.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, symptoms and treatment

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a relatively new disease that mainly affects residents of megacities. It can be provoked by chronic diseases, great emotional and mental stress, in which there is practically no time left for physical exercises and walks, viral diseases or prolonged depression. Also, regular stressful situations can become the cause of the development of this syndrome.

A person with chronic fatigue syndrome, in addition to constant drowsiness and a feeling of fatigue, may experience attacks of aggression that occur without specific motives, sleep disturbances, and memory problems. A person wakes up in the morning not rested and immediately feels overwhelmed and tired.

In this case, you should consult a doctor and establish the causes of chronic fatigue syndrome. If chronic diseases become the cause, then it is necessary to immediately begin their treatment.

In other situations, coping with chronic fatigue syndrome will help:

  • Right lifestyle. A special role in this case is played by the normalization of sleep. Healthy sleep should last at least 7 hours, while you need to go to bed no later than 22-00;
  • Physical exercise. It must be remembered that people who spend a long time at the computer need to go to the gym or walk in the fresh air for a long time. Well, for those who have to spend a long time on their feet, massage or swimming will help;
  • Nutrition normalization. In order for a sufficient amount of vitamins and microelements to enter the body, it is necessary to eat right, introduce vegetable and fruit salads, cereals, soups into the diet. It is worth giving up fast food, alcohol, carbonated drinks.

How to get rid of drowsiness

In order to get rid of drowsiness and a constant feeling of fatigue, first of all, you need to lead a proper lifestyle, monitor your weight and nutrition. People who have devoted their entire lives to work need to periodically change the situation and try to spend the weekend actively and cheerfully.

Pay special attention to your health if symptoms of any disease are detected, consult a doctor and begin treatment to avoid the transition of the disease into a chronic form.

To get rid of drowsiness you can drink a small amount of natural coffee or strong tea. In this case, lemongrass or ginseng tinctures can also be useful. They have an excellent tonic property and help to quickly cheer up. But it must be remembered that people with high blood pressure should not use them.

In the winter-spring period, when food becomes poor in vitamins, it is worth thinking about taking vitamin complexes that will help make up for the lack of these substances in the body. These funds include: Supradin, Duovit, Vitrum, Revit. A doctor or pharmacist will help you choose the right drug.

Some people face such an interesting and unpleasant problem when they cannot fall asleep lying down. They spin, turn, change position, wait for sleep, but it does not come. But one has only to sit in an armchair in front of the TV or with a book, as soon as a comfortable nap appears and the person falls asleep. True, this dream also does not differ in special depth due to an uncomfortable position, and the sleeper can wake up from any sound, noise or awkward movement. But still, such a dream fills all the necessary physiological needs of the body.

I can’t sleep lying down - the husband justifies himself to his wife. But even after sleeping while sitting, although he will function more easily and stably than after a completely sleepless night, he will still feel a feeling of weakness, some drowsiness, and possibly a headache. But even in this state, the next night, a person cannot fall asleep again in bed, but only while sitting. What is this condition and how to solve this problem in order to improve the quality of life?

There can be many reasons for this condition. The most common psychological root of the problem. If a person has some kind of unpleasant association of falling asleep lying down or he experienced a strong fright while falling asleep in bed, then in this position he begins to experience stress, adrenaline is released into the blood and he cannot fall asleep. When moving to a more protected place for him - a chair, the body relaxes and, despite the not always comfortable position of the body, under the influence of the desire for sleep, instantly falls asleep and sleeps as much as possible.

There are 2 possible ways to solve the problem:

  • contact a psychotherapist and take a course, for example, auto-training or hypnosis;
  • retrain to fall asleep in a horizontal position. You can retrain with the help of sleeping pills, or contact a somnologist and get a referral for procedures such as therapeutic sleep.

Also in the bedroom you need to create all the conditions for sleep: buy a comfortable orthopedic mattress, exclude all sound and light stimuli, use audio recordings with the murmur of water. You can put a real indoor waterfall in the bedroom, which will also humidify the air, which is very useful during the heating season.

Another reason for the inability to fall asleep lying down may be certain medical problems.. For example, a person has gastroesophageal reflux, when, in a supine position, gastric contents are thrown back into the esophagus. From unpleasant sensations, he wakes up or cannot fall asleep. This is a short-term phenomenon that needs treatment of the underlying disease.

There may be another reason, more typical for overweight people - sleep apnea or holding your breath during sleep. Sleep apnea at night happens more often when a person is lying on their back. If the patient is very impressionable, under the influence of stress, he may become afraid to fall asleep lying down. In this case, an integrated approach to solving the problem is needed:

  • You need to go on a diet to lower your body mass index and achieve a reduction in the frequency of sleep apnea attacks. You can use intraoral devices to normalize sleep: mouthpieces or mouthguards to make breathing easier. You also need to contact a somnologist to find out if there is another reason for the occurrence of apnea - a curvature of the nasal passages or swollen tonsils.
  • Sleeping pills should not be used for apnea, as they cause relaxation of the muscles of the pharynx, which will only increase the number of seizures;
  • It is necessary to solve the psychological problem of fear of falling asleep lying down, take a course of auto-training, etc.


Cardiovascular diseases

Often they sleep in a half-sitting position - though not in a chair, but using a lot of pillows under the lower back, patients with cardiovascular diseases. Our body is a smart and harmonious system. He himself tells the person what position to take in order to alleviate physical discomfort.

When a person takes a horizontal position, the flow of venous blood to the heart increases. The heart, if there is heart failure, cannot cope with the abundant blood flow. In the lungs, it stagnates, shortness of breath and shortness of breath begin, which are easier to bear in an upright position. Therefore, a person instinctively takes a position that makes it easier for him to fall asleep and sleep, in this case - semi-vertical. As the disease progresses, the patient needs more and more pillows.

Excursion into history

It must be said that in the Middle Ages in Europe, and in Russia, a semi-sitting sleep was adopted. True, they slept like that not in armchairs, but in special shortened sleeping cupboards. In Holland, the bedroom wardrobe of Peter the Great, who brought such a habit to Europe, has been preserved. Such cabinets have been preserved in museums and castles in Romania, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, France, Dover Castle and Frederiksborg Castle. In the residence of Count Sheremetyev near Moscow - in Kuskovo, you can see shortened beds.

There are few reliable explanations for these phenomena. The most probable of them is that feasts and dinners in the 17-18 centuries lasted a very long time, were accompanied by plentiful fatty foods and alcoholic libations, and protein foods are digested for a very long time. Therefore, it was very difficult for the body to fall asleep after a plentiful feast lying down, which is why people used such short beds. For hypertensive patients, half-sitting sleep was clearly more gentle. However, the court ladies of Europe and Japan slept half-sitting in order to maintain intricate hairstyles.

Why is it not good to sleep sitting up?

When a person spends a large amount of time in an anatomically unintended sleeping position, this is harmful and the following complications may occur:

  • squeezing the vertebral arteries in an uncomfortable position can cause oxygen starvation of the brain, due to which a person upon waking up will be lethargic, broken and inefficient;
  • compression of the vertebrae - the vertebrae will experience stress, which can lead to joint diseases. An inconveniently turned head will lead to cervical osteochondrosis;
  • both of the above factors can cause a stroke.

Therefore, if at some point in your life you realize that you can only fall asleep in a sitting position and the chair has become a bed for sleeping, this is enough reason to see a doctor to find the root of the problem and solve it as quickly as possible.

List of used literature:

  • Elena A. Lyashenko, Michael G. Poluektov, Oleg S. Levin and Polina V. Pchelina Age-related Sleep Changes and its Implication in Neurodegenerative Diseases Current Aging Science, 2016, 9, pp 26-33 /li>
  • Ivan N. Pigarev and Marina L. Pigareva The state of sleep and the current brain paradigm Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, October 2015, Volume 9, Article 139
  • Ivan N. Pigarev and Marina L. Pigareva Partial sleep in the context of augmentation of brain function
    Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, published: May 2014, Volume 8, Article 75

Normally, physical or mental overwork leads to drowsiness. This signal of the body indicates to a person the need to take a break from the flow of information or actions. It is expressed in the form of a decrease in visual acuity, yawning, a decrease in the sensitivity of other external stimuli, a slowing of the pulse, dryness of the mucous membranes and a decrease in the activity of the endocrine organs. Such drowsiness is physiological and does not pose a threat to health.

However, there are a number of factors in which this signal of the body becomes a sign of disturbances in the functioning of internal organs and systems. In this article, we will introduce you to 8 reasons that are a sign of pathological sleepiness, and the reasons for the physiological conditions that cause lack of sleep.

Causes of physiological sleepiness

If a person does not sleep for a long time, then his body signals him about the need for sleep. During the day, he can repeatedly fall into a state of physiological drowsiness. This condition can be caused by:

  • overstrain of pain or tactile receptors;
  • the work of the digestive organs after eating;
  • auditory stimuli;
  • overload of the visual system.

sleep deprivation

Normally, a person should sleep about 7-8 hours a day. These figures may change with age. And with forced sleep deprivation, a person will experience periods of drowsiness.

Pregnancy

Drowsiness during pregnancy is a normal condition of the female body.

The period of bearing a child requires a significant restructuring of the woman's body, starting from the first months of pregnancy. In its first trimester, inhibition of the cerebral cortex by hormones leads to daytime sleepiness, and this is a variant of the norm.

Sleepiness after eating

Normally, for proper digestion of food, the body must be at rest for some time, during which blood must flow to the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Because of this, after eating, the cerebral cortex experiences a lack of oxygen and switches to an economy mode, accompanied by physiological drowsiness.


Stress

Any stressful situation causes the release of cortisol and adrenaline into the blood. These hormones are produced by the adrenal glands, and constant nervous tension causes their depletion. Because of this, the level of hormones decreases, and the person experiences a breakdown and drowsiness.

Causes of pathological drowsiness

Pathological drowsiness (or pathological hypersomnia) is expressed in feelings of lack of sleep and fatigue during the day. The appearance of such symptoms should be a reason to see a doctor.

Reason #1 – severe chronic or infectious diseases


After suffering infectious diseases, the body needs to rest and recuperate.

After suffering from infectious and long-term chronic diseases, the body's forces are depleted, and the person begins to feel the need for rest. Because of this, during the day he has to experience drowsiness.

According to some scientists, the appearance of this symptom causes a malfunction of the immune system, and during sleep, processes associated with the restoration of T-lymphocytes occur in the body. According to another theory, during sleep, the body tests the performance of internal organs after an illness and restores it.

Reason #2 – Anemia

Reason #4 – Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is accompanied by bouts of irresistible drowsiness and bouts of sudden onset of sleep during the daytime, loss of muscle tone in the mind, sleep disturbances at night and hallucinations. In some cases, this disease is accompanied by a sudden loss of consciousness immediately after waking up. The causes of narcolepsy are still not well understood.

Reason #5 – idiopathic hypersomnia

With idiopathic hypersomnia, which is more common in young people, there is a tendency to daytime sleepiness. During falling asleep, moments of relaxed wakefulness occur, and the time of nighttime sleep becomes shortened. Awakening becomes more difficult and the person may become aggressive. Patients with this disease experience loss of family and social ties, loss of ability to work and professional skills.

Reason number 6 - intoxication

Acute and chronic poisoning always affects the subcortex and the cerebral cortex. As a result of stimulation of the reticular formation, a person develops severe drowsiness, and not only at night, but also during the day. Such processes can be caused by smoking, psychotropic substances, alcohol and drugs.

Reason number 7 - endocrine pathologies

Hormones produced by endocrine glands such as, and the adrenal glands affect many functions of the body. A change in their concentration in the blood leads to the development of such diseases that provoke drowsiness:

  • hypocorticism - a decrease in the level of adrenal hormones, which is accompanied by a decrease in body weight, loss of appetite, increased fatigue, hypotension;
  • - violation of insulin production, which is accompanied by an increase in blood sugar levels, leading to the appearance of ketoacidotic, hyper- and hypoglycemic conditions that negatively affect the state of the cerebral cortex and cause daytime drowsiness.

Reason #8 – brain injury

Any brain injury, accompanied by bruises, hemorrhages in the tissues of this important organ, can lead to drowsiness and signs of impaired consciousness (stupor or coma). Their development is explained by a violation of the functioning of brain cells or a deterioration in blood circulation and developing hypoxia.

In modern medicine, the search continues for answers to questions about why some people used to sleep while sitting, and what benefits this could bring. A similar situation occurs today. Many adults and children note that in the prone position, their level of drowsiness begins to decrease, and they cannot fall asleep for a long time. However, as soon as they sit down, read a book or watch TV, they immediately fall into a sound sleep. Is it possible to relax in this way, or is sleeping in a sitting position unhealthy?

History reference

In the 19th century, seated sleep was quite common.

Historical sources say that in some European countries, including Russia, sleeping in a half-sitting position was quite common. At the same time, people use not ordinary armchairs or sofas, but shortened bedroom cabinets. Some of them have survived to this day. So, for example, in the Netherlands there is a closet in which Peter the Great rested at night, who had a dream while sitting in Europe.

The prevalence of nighttime sitting in the past is not indicative of its health benefits.

Why did people sleep sitting in the 16th-18th century? There are no reliable data explaining the reasons for this phenomenon. The most plausible hypothesis is associated with frequent feasts, when people ate fatty and protein-rich foods that take a long time to digest. In this situation, people felt better sitting than lying down. The second theory says that the main benefit of such a night's rest is just the preservation of fancy hairstyles for the fair sex.

Why do people prefer to sleep in a sitting position?

When a person chooses to sleep while sitting, the causes of this condition can be very different. Most often, the desire to sit at night is associated with psychological characteristics. So, for example, such deviations are very often observed in people who have traumatic memories from the past - they either got very scared in the past of something while lying in bed, or they have unpleasant associations with a similar situation. All this leads to the fact that when a child or an adult goes to bed, then he has a strong release of adrenaline, which does not allow him to fall asleep. When such a person moves into a chair, the feeling of discomfort passes, allowing you to sleep peacefully.

There are different reasons for sitting down to sleep.

Why can't a psychologically healthy person fall asleep? This can be caused by various diseases. Very often, people suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease, in which the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus, prefer to sleep half-sitting. This posture prevents such casting and significantly reduces the level of discomfort. However, such a situation requires, first of all, the treatment of the underlying disease, and not just a change of place to sleep.

The second common medical problem that explains why people sleep and sleep while sitting is sleep apnea, which is periods of stopping breathing during sleep. A similar phenomenon is more common in the supine position, and is usually noticed by the husband or wife of the person who talks about the violations to the patient. As a result, the person becomes frightened and prefers not to fall asleep in bed anymore.

The situation in children is slightly different from adults. Why does a child prefer to sleep sitting up? Very often, babies take this position due to night terrors that disrupt the process of falling asleep in bed.

Diseases of the cardiovascular system

Sleep in a sitting position is also found in patients with cardiovascular diseases. In this case, such patients sleep, placing pillows under the lower back, unloading the heart.

If a person is in a horizontal position, then a large amount of blood flows to his heart through the venous vessels. This situation can cause discomfort, shortness of breath and respiratory problems in patients with heart failure of any severity. Therefore, such people receive certain benefits from the fact that they sleep half-sitting.

Possible harm

When a child or adult sleeps while sitting for a long period of time (more than one month), it can lead to certain consequences:

  • an uncomfortable posture leads to squeezing of the spinal arteries that supply blood to the brain. This leads to his ischemia and disturbs the night's rest, causing drowsiness and a feeling of weakness after a night's rest;
  • significant pressure on the vertebrae as a result of a long stay in an uncomfortable position can lead to changes in the spinal column and cause exacerbations of a number of diseases, including osteochondrosis;

Sleeping in an uncomfortable position threatens the development of diseases of the spine

  • similar effects occurring in the elderly can cause ischemic stroke.

To restore the quality of a night's rest, it is necessary to contact doctors who are able to select recommendations and treatment for a person.

In this regard, many doctors talk about the dangers of sleeping in a sitting position, both for adults and for babies.

Doctors who insist that you should not sleep sitting up give the following recommendations to people with sleep disorders.

  • If the problem is psychological in nature, then the person should contact a psychotherapist who can help in such a situation. Sleep training in a new position is also of some importance, for which there are a number of special techniques. You can get acquainted with them with your doctor or sleep doctor.

If the reason for sleeping in a sitting position is caused by psychological problems, then you need to seek help from a psychotherapist

  • It is necessary to ventilate the room before going to bed, use a comfortable mattress, do not overeat in the evening and do not engage in activities that excite the central nervous system.
  • In the presence of diseases that violate the process of falling asleep in the supine position, it is necessary to contact a medical institution for their treatment. Early detection of diseases allows you to quickly cure them, without the development of negative health consequences.

Sleep in a sitting position in a child or adult is associated with the psychological characteristics of a person or with certain diseases. Identifying the causes of this condition allows you to draw up a plan for the formation of the habit of sleeping lying down and pick up recommendations for organizing a night's rest.

A sleep disorder characterized by a desire to fall asleep is referred to as excessive sleepiness. Moreover, the desire to sleep most often occurs periodically, but may be present and constantly. Such a syndrome can, of course, indicate that a person just needs to fully relax. But there are a lot of pathologies that have increased drowsiness in the list of symptoms.

If a person experiences constant or periodic drowsiness, and chronic fatigue syndrome can be excluded, you should immediately consult a doctor - only a complete examination of the body will enable specialists to find out the true cause of the condition in question. Since there are many such reasons, it will be necessary to differentiate possible pathological conditions - this will help to conduct effective treatment.

Table of contents:

Most often, the syndrome in question accompanies diseases of the endocrine and cardiovascular systems, but it can also be present in narcolepsy, Kleine-Levin syndrome, sleep apnea syndrome - these are neuropsychiatric diseases that always proceed severely, radically change the patient's lifestyle.

Often, increased drowsiness is noted by those who are forced to take certain medicines for a long period - this affects their side effects on the body. As a rule, with such a development of events, the attending physician will either adjust the dosage of the medication taken, or completely replace it.

Drowsiness is almost always associated with the lack of daylight. Pay attention to how the psycho-emotional background changes during cloudy weather, prolonged rains. In principle, such a condition cannot be considered as a pathology, but it is possible to help the body enter the normal rhythm of life. To increase daylight hours and make up for the lack of sun, fluorescent lamps are installed in the premises - this helps to restore the body's strength in just a couple of days.

And of course, one cannot ignore and, in which a person simply “goes” to sleep - in this way he “hides” from problems and troubles. If increased drowsiness arose precisely against the background of such a disorder of the psycho-emotional background and the nervous system, then you just need to solve the problem or seek help from a psychologist.

Note:all of the listed conditions that lead to increased drowsiness, in principle, can be overcome on their own (with rare exceptions), and drowsiness in the cases described will be considered practically the norm. But there are a number of serious diseases that are accompanied by increased drowsiness - in this case, professional medical care is simply indispensable.

We recommend reading:

Doctors distinguish a number of diseases, the course of which is accompanied by increased drowsiness:

  1. . With such a disease, the level of iron in the body decreases, and if the pathology remains “without attention” and the patient does not undergo treatment, then a lack of hemoglobin can be detected even in blood cells. In addition to increased drowsiness, iron deficiency anemia is accompanied by fragility of the nail plates and hair, general weakness, changes in taste preferences, and dizziness.

Note:it is impossible to normalize and stabilize the level of iron in the body exclusively by folk remedies. With these symptoms, it is imperative to consult a doctor who, after examination, will prescribe an effective treatment with iron preparations.


There are a number of symptoms that, coupled with increased drowsiness, may be the basis for a preliminary diagnosis. Of course, each doctor will conduct the necessary examinations, but assumptions will already be made.

, drowsiness and weakness - vegetovascular dystonia

The mechanism of development of increased drowsiness in this disease is very simple:

  • any factor affects the vessels - for example, stress, smoking;
  • against the background of such an impact, neuroendocrine shifts occur - this condition generally underlies vegetative-vascular dystonia;
  • in the vessels of the brain there is a violation of blood flow (dystonia).

The treatment of increased drowsiness in the pathology under consideration is to combat the factors that actually provoke the general disease. Psychotherapy, reflexology, acupuncture and activities aimed at general strengthening of the whole organism will help the patient.

If the disease is severe, then doctors will prescribe specific medications that will save the patient from drowsiness.

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, headache and drowsiness - intoxication of the nervous system

In this condition, toxic damage to the cerebral cortex occurs due to the influence of internal or external factors. Exogenous intoxication can occur against the background of the use of a large amount of alcoholic beverages, chemicals, poisons of plant or bacterial origin (food poisoning). Endogenous intoxication can occur against the background of severe pathologies of the liver (cirrhosis, hepatitis) and kidneys.

Intoxication of the nervous system is always accompanied by increased drowsiness, nausea and headache - according to these signs, doctors will be able to make a diagnosis and provide professional assistance in time.

Vomiting, nausea, dizziness and drowsiness - traumatic brain injury

With such an injury, several factors begin to affect the central nervous system at once:

  • direct impact - bruise, destruction of brain tissue;
  • violation of the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid;
  • violation of cerebral circulation;
  • cerebral edema.

Note:in the first few hours after a traumatic brain injury, the patient may feel fine, there are no symptoms. That is why even with minor blows to the head, a person must definitely undergo an examination in a medical institution.

Irritability, loss of strength and drowsiness - endocrine disruptions in women

Very often, drowsiness in women is associated with and. In addition to the syndrome under consideration, in such cases there will be other pronounced symptoms:


With endocrine disruptions, you can cope with increased drowsiness with herbal medicine or reflexology, but in especially severe cases, doctors may prescribe hormonal medications.

Of course, first of all, you will need to consult a doctor and undergo a preventive examination - you need to make sure that there are no serious pathologies. If increased drowsiness is a symptom of chronic diseases or is caused by psycho-emotional disorders, then you can try to get rid of the syndrome in question on your own.


Increased drowsiness can be a sign of banal chronic fatigue, but it can be a symptom of severe pathological conditions. You just need to carefully monitor your health and literally "listen" to your well-being - a timely examination in a medical institution will help you effectively deal with the problem.

Tsygankova Yana Alexandrovna, medical observer, therapist of the highest qualification category.

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