Excessive daytime sleepiness in adolescents: current treatment strategies

The complaints of excessive daytime sleepiness are very common among adolescents. In addition, in this particular subpopulation, the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness is associated with negative impact on school performances, interpersonal difficulties (school friends or family), extracurricular activities, health and driving. In adolescents with complaints of excessive daytime sleepiness, it is important to perform a complete clinical assessment including systematic clinical interview, physical examination, sleep diaries, use of specific questionnaires and possible confirmatory tests. In adolescents, the main causes of excessive daytime sleepiness are sleep deprivation, inadequate sleep hygiene, insomnia disorders, circadian rhythm disorders, chronic somatic pathologies, psychiatric disorders, movement disorders related to sleep, respiratory disorders related to sleep, parasomnias, hypersomnia disorders and use of drugs or medications. Given the multiple aetiologies of excessive daytime sleepiness in adolescents, the implementation of targeted therapeutic strategies is essential in order to allow optimal management of this symptom and better prevention of its negative consequences. The aim of this review is therefore to provide health care professionals caring for adolescents with excessive daytime sleepiness complaints the currently recommended therapeutic strategies for the main aetiologies of excessive daytime sleepiness in this particular subpopulation.