What are the Possible Causes of Drowsiness?

What Causes Drowsiness?

Drowsiness can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'troubling' to 'serious'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose drowsiness, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "drowsiness" as a symptom. Here are six possibilities:

Magnesium Toxicity
Sleep Apnea
Hypersomnolence
Lack Of Sleep
Metal Toxicity
Progesterone Excess

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

diarrhea for 1-3 months

reduced mental clarity

breast soreness during cycle

low systolic blood pressure

being highly lethargic

often waking up with a dry mouth

taking naps

frequent night terrors

waking up with a headache

dark areas under eyes

having excess body fat

arrhythmia

... and more than 50 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of drowsiness:

Cause	Probability	Status
Hypersomnolence	96%	Confirm
Metal Toxicity	66%	Possible
Lack Of Sleep	23%	Unlikely
Progesterone Excess	4%	Ruled out
Magnesium Toxicity	2%	Ruled out
Sleep Apnea	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

In the Sleep-Related Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about drowsiness:

General drowsiness. Roughly how often do you find yourself falling asleep in situations such as boring meetings, watching TV or while driving? Do not include drowsiness that occurs 1-3 hours after eating a meal.

Possible responses:

→ Never / rarely / only after a meal / don't know
→ Once a month or less
→ Once a week or less
→ A few times per week
→ At least daily

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate occasional drowsiness, regular drowsiness or frequent drowsiness, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Heavy Metal Toxicity

Hypersomnolence

Lack of Sleep

Magnesium Toxicity

Sleepiness is a sign of magnesium overload.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Some patients suffering from OSA fall asleep in a nonstimulating environment, such as while reading something uninteresting or in a quiet room. Others may fall asleep in a stimulating environment, such as during business meetings, while eating, and even while having sex.

So-called "drowsy driver syndrome", which some believe is responsible for many automobile accidents, may result from OSA. Drivers may fall asleep at the wheel or suffer from a lack of alertness because of sleep deprivation. Decreased alertness places the person at risk in a variety of potentially hazardous situations.

Progesterone Excess

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