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What Is Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS)?

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) is a common symptom of various medical conditions. It is characterised by difficulty in maintaining wakefulness and an increased ability to fall asleep in inappropriate circumstances and situations.

What causes EDS?

Significant alterations in either the normal body processes or circadian processes (the body’s internal 24hr clock) can lead to EDS. While normal sleepiness is relieved by sleep, EDS may persist despite efforts to obtain appropriate sleep.

What conditions cause EDS?

Significant overlap exists among disorders of sleep or wakefulness; hence, EDS is rarely due to a single cause. EDS may be caused by sleep-wake dysregulation, sleep disruption, Parkinson’s disease, depression, myotonic dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, or circadian misalignment. EDS has also been documented in a variety of other medical, neurological and psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, epilepsy, and brain injury.

Why is EDS not recognised?

Despite being treatable, EDS is under-recognised, under-treated and often misdiagnosed. This may be because patients fail to acknowledge the symptoms, or because physicians fail to recognise that EDS can persist despite treatment of the underlying condition.

What are the effects of EDS?

The effects of EDS can be debilitating and can have a profound influence on the quality of life and safety of affected patients. The reduced ability of individuals with EDS to function normally also has economic and public health implications. EDS can affect work and school performance, and has a significant influence on psychological and social functioning. Individuals with EDS are also at increased risk for accidents.

Why should EDS be recognised?

Considering the serious consequences of EDS, it is essential for it to be identified and distinguished from fatigue and tiredness, which are prevalent in many disorders.

How is EDS recognised?

A variety of assessment tools are used to measure the symptoms of EDS. These include tests carried out in a specialist centre as well as rating scales that can be completed by the patient or physician.

Dr. Bruno Baconnet
Senior Director
Medical Affairs
Cephalon Europe
(28/01/11)