Excessive Daytime Sleepiness: When to Seek Help - Psychiatry

Dr. Zhang Xuncheng reply Psychiatry

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After reading your letter, I noticed that many young people today exhibit similar symptoms.
Therefore, I would like to offer a few suggestions not only for Lucy but also for young people in general:
1.
Regular Routine, Proper Nutrition, and Sufficient Exercise: Many young individuals spend excessive time in internet cafes or online, sitting in front of computer screens for long periods, which leads to a lack of physical activity.
They become immersed in the virtual world and have little connection with nature, resulting in deteriorating health.
Common complaints include unexplained back pain, chest tightness, headaches, and dizziness.
Additionally, due to their reluctance to go offline, they often eat in front of the computer, resorting to junk food—high-calorie, low-nutrient fried foods.
Prolonged computer use disrupts normal biological rhythms, and the lack of exercise and proper nutrition (any one of which can lead to serious consequences) can cause excessive daytime sleepiness and insomnia at night.
People often think they can catch up on sleep by sleeping longer for a day or two, but this can lead to an accumulation of carbon dioxide in the body, resulting in persistent drowsiness, dizziness, fatigue, and lack of energy.
Fried foods also contain high levels of free radicals, which can damage physiological molecular structures.
While the immediate effects on mental state or sleep may not be apparent, long-term poor dietary habits (with insufficient nutritional intake) can lead to neurological or endocrine disorders, further affecting immunity and mental health, making individuals more susceptible to colds or unusual illnesses.
Therefore, it is advisable to reduce the intake of overly processed and fried foods.
In other words, “natural is better”—increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables!
2.
Eat Less, Move More, and Maintain a Balanced Diet: It is crucial to ensure a balanced intake of nutrients.
In today’s society, many young women equate thinness with beauty, leading them to follow fad diets, take weight loss pills, or visit slimming centers for “sculpting.” Media advertisements further exacerbate this trend, resulting in numerous cases of physical and mental harm due to improper dieting.
There have been distant cases of diet-related incidents leading to pulmonary fibrosis, and more recent cases of liposuction resulting in shock, with some patients ultimately dying despite medical intervention.
Despite these unfortunate incidents, many young women continue to pursue extreme weight loss measures.
The key to successful weight loss is simply “eat less, move more, and maintain a balanced diet,” which guarantees healthy weight loss without side effects.
3.
Say No to Drugs: From past trends like “Youth! Relax!” to recent substances such as “Happy Pills” and the current so-called “One Grain Sand” pills, these drugs are severely harming the youth today.
They often say things like, “A few times won’t hurt,” “It makes you feel indescribably high,” “We all dare to try it; those who don’t are cowards,” or “Don’t worry about overdosing!” However, one should consider whether anyone has ever become great or achieved significant success through drug use.
While there may be a brief period of happiness, it quickly turns into suffering.
The outcome of drug use can only be described as tragic.
Therefore, bravely say “no” to drugs and do not succumb to peer pressure.
4.
Limit Stimulant Beverages: Some individuals with sensitive constitutions should avoid stimulant beverages such as tea, coffee, and cola, which can enhance alertness.
After consuming these drinks, one may feel overly energized, even when it’s time to sleep, leading to fatigue the next day as they drag themselves through work or classes.
This creates a vicious cycle, and within a few days, the body may develop health issues.
5.
Pay Attention to Body Signals: If you maintain a regular routine, have a balanced diet, engage in moderate exercise, do not take weight loss pills or engage in extreme dieting, and avoid stimulants and drugs, yet still experience fatigue, excessive sleepiness, or physical discomfort, it is advisable to undergo a thorough medical examination at a reputable hospital.
Many internal medical conditions present initial symptoms such as fatigue and excessive sleepiness, such as hepatitis B.
These conditions can often be detected early and treated effectively, leading to recovery.
If all tests confirm that your health is fine, then consider visiting a psychiatrist.

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Reply Date: 2002/08/06