PERIODIC HYPERSOMNIA - STRESS AS A TRIGGER

Periodic hypersomnia, with or without associated hyperphagia and behav ioral disturbances, is a relatively rare disorder. It typically occurs spontaneously in healthy adolescent males. These syndromes have also been reported following interactions, encephalitis, head trauma and ce rebral infarction. In the present report we describe three cases of pe riodic hypersomnia in young soldiers, apparently induced by unusually intense physical stress, preceding the onset of the syndromes by sever al days to a week. This relationship between extreme physical stress a nd hyper somnolence, which is reported for the first time, should be a dded to the list of factors which may induce the hypersomnia syndromes .