3Primary hypersomnia is a condition that falls under the umbrella of primary sleep disorders. As there are many types of different sleep disorders, it can be helpful to understand the signs and symptoms of this disorder in order to identify it.It is necessary to have a detailed account of a person's sleep history and sleep problems in order to correctly identify this sleep disorder.
- Look for the presence of a predominant complaint of excessive sleepiness for at least one month (or less, if recurrent) as evidenced by either prolonged sleep episodes or daytime sleep episodes that occur almost daily. Although there could be other symptoms of complaint, it is required that this be the predominant complaint in order to consider a diagnosis of primary hypersomnia.Look for excessive sleepiness causing clinically significant distress or impairment in at least one major area of functioning. Examples of these areas would be social, occupational, interpersonal and academic life. The increased need for sleep can result in less than adequate time, in which to successfully complete duties in each of these areas, which can have serious repercussions.Evaluate to make sure that the excessive sleepiness is not better accounted for by insomnia and does not occur exclusively during the course of another sleep disorder (e.g. narcolepsy, breathing related sleep disorder, circadian rhythm sleep disorder or parasomnia) and cannot be accounted for by an inadequate amount of sleep. If the symptoms exist as a result of the individual not allowing for a large enough amount of sleep, a sleep disorder is not an accurate diagnosis.Evaluate to make sure that the disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of another mental disorder. And the disturbance cannot be due to the direct physiological effects of a substance such as a drug of abuse, a medication, or a general medical condition.
