You may think that there are few good reasons to get out of bed in the morning. The sheets, the duvet, are warm: the outside world, cold. In winter, we have a much harder time getting out of bed, but what if you feel like it is a serious problem to decide to get out of bed? There is a word for this: you could have dysania.
“Dysania is a rarely used term for ‘not getting out of bed in the morning,'” says Mark Salter of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. “It is a behavior that is sometimes seen in those who suffer from a major depressive disorder.”
Dysania, which has not been medically recognized at the moment, is not based only on feeling more sleepy than normal, but on a chronic inability to get out of bed and start the day. Patients who report dysania may stay in bed for days and often experience anxiety at the thought of getting up. They may also want to go back to bed after they have left it.
But it is important to know that it is unlikely that we will be diagnosed with dysania alone. It is generally considered a symptom of an underlying condition such as depression or chronic fatigue syndrome.
To identify whether someone is experiencing dysania or clinomania, a closely related term that refers to the desire to stay in bed all day, the first thing experts would do is rule out whether there is any physical problem.
They would then ask the patient what other symptoms they are experiencing. This could lead to a diagnosis of depression, which can have a variety of effects on the body.
“Sleep disturbances, lethargy, and early awakening are bodily symptoms of depression,” says Salter. “Sleepiness combined with waking up in the morning sometimes manifests as a total inability to move. People with severe depression, for example, may not be able to raise their arm to drink a glass of water, “he explains.
“If they don’t have any other symptoms, they may just have a hard time getting up in the morning. This is not, in case it needs to be said, the same as dysania, ” Salter continues.
If you’re not sure if your drowsiness may be more severe than normal, try getting more sleep by changing your habits.
First, try to regulate how much you sleep. Most adults need six to nine hours, so exercise when you need to get up early and then stick to a regular bedtime. Relaxation is the key: Try to relax before going to bed with a bath with salts or a light exercise such as yoga stretches.
Do not forget to eliminate distractions such as mobile, tablet or laptop. And why not, you can also try the more pleasant side, with sex or masturbation? Unlike other physical activities, having sex makes us sleepy.
If, after trying all this, your inability to get up in the morning is palpable and causes you stress and anxiety, you should make an appointment with your GP. You may feel like you are just being lazy but you will never know for sure unless certified by an expert.
