Treatment options.docx - Hypersomnolence disorder is...

Hypersomnolence disorder is characterized as self-reported excessive sleepiness despite
sleeping for at least seven hours accompanied by recurrent periods of sleep or lapse into
sleep in the same day or prolonged main sleep episode of more than nine hours of sleep and
still feeling unrefreshed (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 2013). Other
diagnostic criteria for hypersomnolence include occurrence at least three times a week for at
least three months, significant distress or cognitive impairment, not explained by another
sleep disorder, coexisting mental or medical disorder, and not attributable to effects of
substance use.
Treatment options
Hypersomnia is an insufficient amount of sleep; treatment is to regulate or extend the
sleep period (Sadock, 2014). The first step to treating hypersomnia is identifying and ruling
out underlying causes such as other sleep disorders, medical conditions, or idiopathic
hypersomnia. The primary treatment of choice for hypersomnia is pharmacological.