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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Excess Tiredness And Lethargy?

My boyfriend is 24, in reasonably good health but a little out of shape. However, he INSISTS that he needs 12-14 hours of sleep EVERY DAY to function normally, and that some people s sleep needs are different . He is barely awake eight hours a day doing little physical activity and constantly complains of being not just tired but EXHAUSTED. I am convinced that there is something wrong with him, or that he is using this as an excuse to oversleep. What is going on?
posted on Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Twitter Wed, 1 Oct 2014 Answered on
Twitter Mon, 6 Oct 2014 Last reviewed on
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  User's Response
Hi, thanks for posting your concern in the HCM.
You are absolutely right regarding the fact that this amount of sleep is not at all normal. A normal human being needs 8 hours of sleep in 24 hours. THe sleep ycle is a combination of REM and NREM sleep. Whenever the balance between these two type of sleep is altered or if any of the particular form is inadequate, a person feels drowsy, increasingly fatigued. There is also loss of concentration, increased work loss etc.
This condition often occurs due to anxiety disorder, sleep cycle disorder etc. But, several endocrinal problems, neurological problem, electrolyte imbalance may produce similar symptoms.
Therefore, further tests are needed- Complete blood count, urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, calcium, fasting TSH, fasting sugar, HbA1c, lipid profile.
A neuropsychiatrist should also be consulted at the earliest for clinical evaluation.
For the time being, he should have
high fibre diet with oil restriction to 2 tablespoon per day,
good oral hydration (at least 3 lit/day)
daily exercise for 1 hr.
daily relaxation session for 30 min before going to bed
fixed time for sleep everyday
avoid late sleep and have dinner at least one hr before going to bed.
For any further help, please right back.
Regards
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What Causes Excess Tiredness And Lethargy?

Hi, thanks for posting your concern in the HCM. You are absolutely right regarding the fact that this amount of sleep is not at all normal. A normal human being needs 8 hours of sleep in 24 hours. THe sleep ycle is a combination of REM and NREM sleep. Whenever the balance between these two type of sleep is altered or if any of the particular form is inadequate, a person feels drowsy, increasingly fatigued. There is also loss of concentration, increased work loss etc. This condition often occurs due to anxiety disorder, sleep cycle disorder etc. But, several endocrinal problems, neurological problem, electrolyte imbalance may produce similar symptoms. Therefore, further tests are needed- Complete blood count, urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, calcium, fasting TSH, fasting sugar, HbA1c, lipid profile. A neuropsychiatrist should also be consulted at the earliest for clinical evaluation. For the time being, he should have high fibre diet with oil restriction to 2 tablespoon per day, good oral hydration (at least 3 lit/day) daily exercise for 1 hr. daily relaxation session for 30 min before going to bed fixed time for sleep everyday avoid late sleep and have dinner at least one hr before going to bed. For any further help, please right back. Regards