Hypersomnia

WAY too many people try to map hypersomnia onto their own, normal and healthy experience of being tired and resting.

Let's tell a story which should demonstrate the reality of this condition.

Your housemate asks what's wrong.

"I'm sleeping 18 hours a night."

"I'm so jealous!"

If you weren't so exhausted you would have seriously considered punching him in the face.

You roll back into bed around midday.

You regain consciousness. It's dark outside. You lie there for a long time (you don't know how long) before you're able to get up. You roll out of bed, pour a glass of water and drink it, and miraculously find a packet of potato chips. You lie down again.

You regain consciousness as your mum calls you. It's blazing noon. She asks how your day went. You say you slept for 18 hours. She cheerfully says "sounds like you needed it!" No. No you did not need it. Nobody needs to sleep that much. But you don't have the energy to argue, so you just say goodbye and pass out again.

You regain consciousness because your stomach is panging. The sun is just starting to come up. You are barely conscious, but your stomach is actively painful. You notice the packet of potato chips next to your bed and manage to tear it open. As you eat them, you notice that one of your teeth is not shaped how it used to be. (You've barely been drinking or eating, and your mouth is dry from the inactivity, so you have a bunch of new cavities, but you won't know that until later in the year because you are a LONG way from a dental exam being possible)

You regain consciousness. The sun is setting. Your housemate says "I'm sick of you sleeping all the time." Your response is not much more than a grunt. Your thighs are itchy. You lie down again.

You regain consciousness because your ex's best friend calls you. You vaguely slur "this is not a good time." She yells "WELL YOU'LL HAVE TO FUCKING MAKE IT A GOOD TIME," and continues to scream at you until you pass out again.

You regain consciousness. It's the dead of night. Your thighs are really itchy (It's impetigo, because you haven't showered in weeks, but you won't know that until many months later). Your stomach is SCREAMING at you, so you order UberEats. You take two bites and immediately start throwing up, because you haven't eaten properly in a week. Finding a bucket is hard. You get about half of your meal down and pretty much fall face-first into it.

You regain consciousness because your housemate is shaking you awake. You vaguely remember that you were supposed to pay your share of bills at some point. Your housemate wants to know how your efforts to find a job go. You say you're sleeping 18 hours a night and can't.

He says:

"...and whose fault is that?"

🔗 Checkin

Version: 1

Written: 2026-03-19

Written on: 7.5mg olanzapine since 2025-11-11; taken continuously since 2006

Cognitive capacity: improving! - estimate 15% of brain and climbing

The quotes are all real, though not from a single housemate.