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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2024; 17(04): e461-e465
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1780503
Case Report

Excessive Postprandial Sleepiness in Two Young Adults Effectively Treated with Antidiabetic Medications

Shinji Ohara 
1   Department of Neurology, Iida Hospital, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
,
Ryusuke Takaki
1   Department of Neurology, Iida Hospital, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
,
Shigeto Sasaki
2   Department of Internal Medicine, Iida Hospital, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
› Author Affiliations Funding Source The authors declare that they have received no funding from agencies in the public, private or non-profit sectors for the conduction of the present study.
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Abstract

We herein describe the cases of two young Japanese adults who presented with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Based on their history, the postprandial nature of the sleepiness was suspected, although the patients themselves were not aware of the association. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) reproduced the sleepiness and showed the patterns of insulin resistance (IR) compatible with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in one patient and glucose intolerance in the other. There was no evidence of chronic hyperglycemia in either patient. Antidiabetic medications resulted in the disappearance of EDS in both patients; in one, a repeat OGTT revealed improved IR. We suggest that postprandial somnolence can present with EDS, and it can be effectively treated with antidiabetic medications, and that the OGTT can be useful in identifying IR, which may be the underliyng cause of the excessive postprandial somnolence.

Keywords

postprandial period - disorder of excessive somnolence - oral glucose tolerance test - insulin resistance

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HEADINGS: Disorders of Excessive Somnolence. Postprandial Period. Glucose Tolerance Test. Insulin Resistance.




Publication History

Received: 28 May 2023

Accepted: 20 December 2023

Article published online:
10 May 2024

© 2024. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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