Imagine navigating through the bustling streets of New York, but all you can think about is how tired you are. You’ve had a full night’s sleep, yet you find yourself struggling to keep your eyes open during meetings, while driving, or even during conversations.
This overwhelming sense of fatigue is more than just being tired – it might be excessive daytime sleepiness, also known as hypersomnia.
Here are some common signs and symptoms:
- Sleeping longer than average (10 or more hours) yet still being very sleepy during the day and having difficulty staying awake during the day
- Difficulty waking up in the morning or after a daytime nap
- Anxiety, irritability, or restlessness
- Decreased energy, loss of appetite, headaches, hallucinations
- Slow thinking, slow speech, inability to focus/concentrate, memory problems
Get access to the best excessive daytime sleepiness doctors in New York
If you think you might have excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia), seeing a doctor who specializes in sleep disorders can help you get the right diagnosis and treatment. Here’s a list of leading excessive daytime sleepiness doctors near New York, from MediFind.
What is MediFind, you ask? It’s a website that collects information from various medical sources to help you find the best doctors for different health conditions like hypersomnia.
With a regularly updated database featuring over 3.5 million doctors from around the globe, MediFind’s advanced algorithm identifies which doctors are leading the field in the latest research and treatments. This ensures you receive the most current and effective care available, whether you need a primary care doctor for a routine check-up or a sleep disorder specialist to get to the bottom of your excessive daytime sleepiness.
How is excessive daytime sleepiness typically diagnosed?
To find out if you have excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia), a doctor will usually do one or more of the following:
- Discuss your symptoms. Your sleep specialist will ask about your symptoms, medical history, sleep history, and current medications.
- Ask you to keep a sleep diary. You may be asked to keep track of your sleep and wake patterns using a sleep diary.
- Prescribe an actigraphy sensor. You may be asked to wear an actigraphy sensor, which is a small, watch-like device worn on your wrist that can track disruptions in your sleep-wake cycle over several weeks.
- Order a polysomnography. This overnight sleep study test measures your brain waves, breathing patterns, heart rhythms, and muscle movements during stages of sleep. The test is performed in a clinic (called a sleep lab) under the supervision of a trained sleep specialist.
- Order a multiple sleep latency test. This daytime sleep test measures a person’s tendency to fall asleep during five, 20-minute nap trials scheduled two hours apart. The test records brain activity, including the number of naps containing REM sleep.
- Have you fill out sleep questionnaires. You may be asked to complete one or more sleep questionnaires that ask you to rate your sleepiness. Popular sleep questionnaires are the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale.
Don’t let excessive daytime sleepiness take over your life
If you often feel extremely sleepy during the day, it can really drain your energy and keep you from enjoying your life to the fullest. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Websites like MediFind make it easy to find sleep disorder experts quickly.
Beyond just sleep specialists, MediFind offers access to experts in various fields, ensuring you find the best possible care for any health issue. The platform is user-friendly, allowing you to search by condition, location, gender, insurance accepted, and more. This makes the process of finding the right healthcare professional straightforward and stress-free.
Taking this step to find the right doctor is a brave first move towards feeling better and getting your life back on track. Remember, you deserve to feel good and enjoy your days without feeling so sleepy all the time. Use resources like MediFind to take control of your health and regain your energy once and for all.
