Hypersomnia causes extreme, non-restorative sleep

Idiopathic hypersomnia is a rare sleep disorder characterized by extreme daytime sleepiness and excessive sleep duration. Patients often sleep for extended periods, sometimes between 14 and 25 hours at a time, yet they do not feel rested and continue to experience profound fatigue.

Sleep researcher Christine Blume explains that while hypersomnia causes extreme sleepiness during the day, the term 'idiopathic' signifies that the underlying cause of the condition remains unknown. Diagnosis typically involves clinical examinations, including sleep laboratory studies and sleep latency tests.