Hi, I don't know how many hours you sleep to consider it a good night's rest, but if you are sleeping 7 hours per night, perhaps going to bed an hour or two earlier just to see if it will help you stay awake may be a good attempt to see if the extra hours of sleep will help. If you are married, it may be a sign of a new addition -- but this is just a thought. If none of those two seems to be the problem, perhaps you have a medical condition called narcolepsy which is a overwhelming problem of daytime sleepiness. You may need to see a physician to determine. However, I have provided a website for you for further reading of the problem.
Signs and symptoms The signs and symptoms of narcolepsy include:
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Excessive daytime sleepiness. The primary characteristic of narcolepsy is overwhelming drowsiness and an uncontrollable need to sleep during the day. People with narcolepsy fall asleep without warning, anywhere and at any time. For example, you may suddenly nod off while at work or talking with friends. You may sleep for just a few minutes or up to a half-hour before awakening and feeling refreshed, but then you fall asleep again.
In addition to sleeping at inappropriate times and places, you also may experience decreased alertness throughout the day. Excessive daytime sleepiness usually is the first symptom to appear and is often the most troublesome, making it difficult for you to concentrate and function fully. -
Sudden loss of muscle tone. This condition, called cataplexy, can cause a range of physical changes, from slurred speech to complete weakness of most muscles, and may last for a few seconds to a few minutes. Cataplexy is uncontrollable and is often triggered by intense emotions, usually positive ones such as such as laughter or excitement, but sometimes fear, surprise or anger. For example, your head may droop uncontrollably or your knees may suddenly buckle when you laugh.
Some people with narcolepsy experience only one or two episodes of cataplexy a year, while others have numerous episodes each day. About 70 percent of people with narcolepsy experience cataplexy. -
Sleep paralysis. People with narcolepsy often experience a temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or upon waking. These episodes are usually brief — usually lasting only several seconds to several minutes — but they can be frightening. You may be aware of the condition and have no difficulty recalling it afterward, even if you had no control over what was happening to you.
This sleep paralysis mimics the type of temporary paralysis that normally occurs during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the period of sleep during which most dreaming occurs. This temporary immobility during REM sleep may prevent your body from acting out dream activity. Not everyone with sleep paralysis has narcolepsy, however. Many normal people experience a few attacks of sleep paralysis, especially in young adulthood. - Hallucinations. These hallucinations, called hypnagogic hallucinations, may take place when a person with narcolepsy falls quickly into REM sleep, as they do at sleep onset at night and periodically during the day. Because you may be semiawake when you begin dreaming, you experience your dreams as reality, and they may be particularly vivid and frightening.
Other characteristics
Other signs and symptoms of narcolepsy include restless nighttime sleep and occasional automatic behavior. During episodes of automatic behavior, you continue to function during sleep episodes — even talking and putting things away, for example — but you awaken with no memory of performing such activities, and you generally don't perform these tasks well. As many as 40 percent of people with narcolepsy experience automatic behavior during sleep attacks. People with narcolepsy may also act out their dreams at night by flailing their arms or kicking and screaming.
Usually, the signs and symptoms of narcolepsy first develop between the ages of 10 and 25, but the condition can start before the age of 10 or in your 20s and 30s. It's rare for narcolepsy to begin after age 40. Narcolepsy is chronic, which means signs and symptoms may vary in severity, but they never go away entirely.
To know when to seek medical advice, causes, treatments, self-care and other valuable options visit:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcolepsy/DS00345/DSECTION=5
You really should see a physician and I hope the prognosis is a good one for you.
