Drowsiness Causes, diseases and self-help

Drowsiness: these are the causes

If you feel drowsy, you feel like you're under drugs. Everything around him is "packed in cotton" or as in the phase between being awake and falling asleep. Those affected usually perceive this condition as unpleasant.

contents

• Drowsiness: these are the causes
• A quantitative disturbance of consciousness
• Spiritual clarity with limitations
• causes
• Too little fluid and sleep
• alcohol and drugs
• Low blood pressure / anemia / iron deficiency
• infectious diseases
• Drowsiness due to medication
• Mental disorders
• Other possible causes of drowsiness
• What to do? - Self-help with drowsiness
• Home remedies for hypertension
• When should you go to the doctor?

A quantitative disturbance of consciousness

Drowsiness is the slightest quantitative disturbance of consciousness, that is, a disorder that relates to the degree of alertness. More severe quantitative disturbances of consciousness are somnolence, sopor and coma. Qualitative disorders of consciousness, on the other hand, are a narrowed or a shifted consciousness.

"Drowsiness" refers to a form of dysfunction in which the person remains mentally clear. (Image: Bits and Splits / fotolia.com)

Spiritual clarity with limitations

In contrast to more severe disturbances of consciousness, the mental clarity remains with dizziness; those affected consciously perceive their environment, but they think and act more slowly. They take longer to absorb and process information, their reactions are delayed.

In spite of mental clarity, however, their judgment and sense of direction diminish. You have trouble forming words. Fatigue, dizziness, pressure on the head and the feeling of "driving carousel".

causes

Drowsiness is not a disease, but a relatively nonspecific symptom that can have many causes. These include drugs that reduce awareness, consumption of alcohol and other substances, lack of sleep, metabolic problems, infectious diseases or traumatic brain injury.

Too little fluid and sleep

A first harmless cause is a lack of fluid. Fatigue and headache come here as accompanying symptoms. You can avoid this form of drowsiness by making sure to drink enough. In total, that should be about two liters of water per day.

Lack of sleep: too little sleep causes tiredness, but also a dazed feeling.

Lack of sleep causes us to feel choppy and struggle with concentration problems. (Image: Ralf Geithe / fotolia.com)

alcohol and drugs

Alcohol: Anyone who has ever drank too much knows drowsiness in the state of drunkenness. Faces blur, the stomach rumbles, the sense of direction decreases. However, at high levels of per thousand, the symptoms go beyond that: who suffers a film tear, sees things two or three times and no longer has control over his actions, which is not only dizzy - because dizziness is characterized by the fact that the mental clarity is maintained.

Anyone who is drunk on the other hand and still notices that talking is difficult for him (to laugh), and he has problems to go straight, which is dazed by the alcohol. Meanwhile, we feel dizzy not only during the intoxication, but also during the "hangover" with which we wake up the next morning. Here the mental clarity is just returning, but the symptoms include fatigue, a lack of judgment and delayed thinking like action.

Other substances that cause drowsiness are cannabis, all morphine such as opium or heroin, extasy, so-called "knockout drops", "angel dust" and various narcotics.

Low blood pressure / anemia / iron deficiency

Low blood pressure can be the trigger for the discomfort. Here the accompanying symptom is dizziness. For low blood pressure, there are many reasons - from heart failure, blood loss to iron deficiency to hormonal imbalances, hypothyroidism and iodine and iron deficiency.

An iodine deficiency leads to a hypofunction of the thyroid gland, which "puts the energy metabolism of the body on ice". An iron deficiency causes the blood can not absorb enough oxygen, leading to circulatory disorders. The body needs iodine as a trace element to form the hormones of the thyroid gland. These in turn are necessary for bone formation, brain development and energy metabolism. Up to 80% of all the iodine we absorb is processed by the endocrine gland.

The iodine enters the gastrointestinal tract through food, and thence into the thyroid gland. There, the hormones are formed, the thyroid stores them and releases them into the blood in the necessary doses. The two hormones of the endocrine gland are mostly bound to proteins, only 1% remains free and acts as a free T 3 and free T 4 on the metabolism.

Iron is necessary to guide the oxygen into the blood and red blood cells. A lack of red blood cells therefore also means anemia of iron deficiency. The deficiency decreases the hemoglobin and this leads to the deterioration of the oxygen supply in the tissues and cells.
Anemia of iron deficiency occurs when we supply too little iron with the food.

Typical symptoms include extreme tiredness and fatigue. This is because the body can not transport oxygen into the cells without the mineral, and without the oxygen, the energy is lacking. Iron rich foods include eggs, meat, almonds, avocados and green vegetables. Iron, which is found in bread, milk and cereal products, the body can not absorb enough.

By iron-rich foods such. Nuts, green vegetables and eggs can prevent a shortage. (Image: bit24 / fotolia.com)

The body loses iron when urinating, sweating and shedding old skin cells. Bleeding leads to a further loss of the trace element and therefore women need more iron than men because of their monthly period. Deficiency affects the entire body. The central nervous system disorders are dizziness, headache, lack of concentration and depression. Cardiovascular and cardio-pulmonary problems can manifest as heart palpitations, heart attacks, shortness of breath, tiredness, fatigue and fatigue.

The disturbed metabolism appears as a lack of appetite to a non-psychic anorexia and as muscle wasting. The damage to the skin, hair and nails leads to facial blemishes, torn corners of the mouth, brittle nails and broken mucous membranes.

Anemia can also be caused by kidney disorders, bone marrow diseases, gastric oozing, malaria, leukemia, tumors, lymphoma or heart disease.

infectious diseases

Some infectious diseases are typically associated with dizziness. These include the "real" flu, a flu infection, Lyme disease causes or the Epstein-Barr virus (Pfeiffer's glandular fever). The stunned feeling often lasts weeks after the actual condition is over.

Colds and flu-like infections are the first signs of a dizziness and weakness. There is also itching in the nose and throat, headache, shivering, hoarseness, sore throat, runny nose, cough, body aches and fever. The fatigue increases in the course of the disease.

With the Pfeifferschen glandular fever, lymph node swelling in the neck and neck is added, as well as fever and sore throat. Symptoms of nose sinusitis include the symptoms of pressure in the nose and forehead, chronic cold and headache, hoarseness and coughing.

A flu infection is often manifested by fatigue and a feeling of drowsiness. (Image: drubig-photo / fotolia.com)

Drowsiness due to medication

The following medicines are considered triggers:

1. Antihistamines act in the central nervous system and can therefore cause dizziness.
2. Low potency antipsychotics can cause discomfort because their purpose is to control uncontrolled emotional outbursts.
3. Antihypertensives
4. Antidepressants often cause a dazed feeling.

Mental disorders

Extremely common is dizziness in mental disorders. Traumatization and borderline syndrome often involve dissociation and other severe forms of loss of consciousness. In depression, a feeling of drowsiness is part of the regular clinical picture. Stress is also a classic trigger.

Depression occurs as a comorbidity of other serious illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and Parkinson's, all of which are a source of drowsiness. Depression aggravates these conditions, and these conditions increase depression - this spiral can directly threaten the lives of those affected. Also medications for the corresponding diseases can cause depression as a side effect.

Other possible causes of drowsiness

1. Wear or tension of the cervical spine
2. Hypothyroidism
3. Hypertension or blood pressure fluctuations
4. Both hypoglycaemia and hypoglycaemia can cause both drowsiness, for example in diabetes mellitus
5. Various head injuries, by blows, bumps, kicks or falls, for example, in concussion or cerebral hemorrhage
6. Heart and lung diseases as well as kidney and liver damage. Especially in case of heart failure, the symptom appears, combined with a general feeling of weakness.
7. In a stroke, a mild form of dysregulation may be a concomitant symptom, besides the main symptoms such as paralysis, visual and speech disorders.
8. A meningitis is accompanied by the feeling of being "wrapped in cotton", in addition to headaches, fever, neck tension and neck stiffness.
9. In a brain tumor occasionally dizziness, because the expansion of the tumor increases the intracranial pressure.

What to do? - Self-help with drowsiness

In case of a basic disease, the doctor must address the cause of the disease. However, because drowsiness is a symptom, you can often alleviate it with simple measures - largely independent of the triggers.

1. Drink a big glass of water.
2. Keep your forearms under cold water, your head under the cold tap, or shower alternately hot and cold. This stimulates the circulation.
3. Take a walk in the fresh air. Movement and oxygen help against the feeling of "cotton in the head".
4. Lie down for a while. A nap should not be more than 30 minutes.

To stimulate the circulation, it may be helpful to immerse the forearms in cold water for a few seconds. (Image: the_builder / fotolia.com)

Home remedies for hypertension

For high blood pressure (hypertension) help garlic, onions and wild garlic, as well as lovage, basil, spinach, fennel, cauliflower, white beans and apricots. Herbal teas for hypertension include hawthorn, mistletoe, horsetail, valerian, lavender, passionflower and olive leaves.

Pureed garlic and lemon with water in a shot glass can lower the blood pressure in a natural way. Arm baths in lukewarm water and cold cast afterwards will help as well as yoga. Honey, apple cider vinegar in water and black cumin oil as a nutritional supplement are other proven home remedies for hypertension. The same applies to essential oils, which are atomized in an aroma lamp. Melissa, ylang-ylang or clary sage are particularly suitable.

When should you go to the doctor?

You should go to the doctor if the symptoms become chronic and none of the home remedies causes an improvement. If the following additional symptoms occur, there is no time to lose and seek medical attention as soon as possible:

• Nausea and vomiting
• High fever
• Stiff neck
• Sudden headaches that sting or burn
• Constant drowsiness, even during the day
• Paralysis, feelings of numbness, discomfort when speaking and walking
• Essence changes, high irritability, listlessness / lethargy, passive aggressiveness
• cramps

(Dr. Utz Anhalt)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)

literature
Kretz, Schäffer: Anesthesia Emergency Medicine Pain Therapy, Springer 2008
Striebel: anesthesia, intensive care medicine, emergency medicine for study and training, Schattauer 2013