Many people hesitate to see a doctor despite the fact that they are not able to read a newspaper or a journal without falling asleep. Some people unintentionally fall asleep driving a car or at work. There are different causes for this type of sleeping disorder but all of them need a diagnosis and have different therapy options.

If you can exclude a lack of sleep due to a restriction of your normal sleeping time you need to find out why you have these severe impairments of daily life. Some of the possible reasons include:

• Sleep apnea
• Narcolepsy
• Idiopathic hypersomnia
• Severe medical conditions (thyreoid disorder, chronic infection, tumors, auto immune disorders, diabetes)
• Intoxication by drugs
• Interaction or side effects of prescribed medication