Editing Somnolence (section)

{{short description|State of desire for sleep, for unusually long periods}}
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 |synonym       = Sleepiness, drowsiness
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 |specialty     = [[Psychiatry]]
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'''Somnolence''' (alternatively '''sleepiness''' or '''drowsiness''') is a state of strong desire for [[sleep]], or sleeping for unusually long periods (compare [[hypersomnia]]). It has distinct meanings and causes. It can refer to the usual state preceding [[Sleep onset|falling asleep]],<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2262-11.2011|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1065640|pmid=22131409|pmc=6623815|title=Getting Drowsy? Alert/Nonalert Transitions and Visual Thalamocortical Network Dynamics|journal=Journal of Neuroscience|volume=31|issue=48|pages=17480–7|year=2011|last1=Bereshpolova|first1=Y.|last2=Stoelzel|first2=C. R.|last3=Zhuang|first3=J.|last4=Amitai|first4=Y.|last5=Alonso|first5=J.-M.|last6=Swadlow|first6=H. A.}}</ref> the condition of being in a drowsy state due to [[circadian rhythm]] disorders, or a symptom of other health problems. It can be accompanied by [[lethargy]], weakness and lack of mental agility.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Drowsiness – Symptoms, Causes, Treatments|url = http://www.healthgrades.com/symptoms/drowsiness|website = www.healthgrades.com|date = 26 June 2014|access-date = 2015-10-31}}</ref>

Somnolence is often viewed as a symptom rather than a disorder by itself. However, the concept of somnolence recurring at certain times for certain reasons constitutes various disorders, such as [[excessive daytime sleepiness]], [[shift work sleep disorder]], and others; and there are [[medical classification|medical codes]] for somnolence as viewed as a disorder.

Sleepiness can be dangerous when performing tasks that require constant concentration, such as driving a vehicle. When a person is sufficiently [[fatigue]]d, [[microsleep]]s may be experienced. In individuals deprived of sleep, somnolence may spontaneously dissipate for short periods of time; this phenomenon is the [[second wind (sleep)|second wind]], and results from the normal cycling of the circadian rhythm interfering with the processes the body carries out to prepare itself to rest.

The word "somnolence" is derived from the [[Latin]] "somnus" meaning "sleep".