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Why do I fall asleep when I tilt my head back?

by Kathy W.
(Kansas City, Missouri)

Each night I get around 7-9 hours of solid sleep. If I wake up at all it's just once to turn over and I don't snore. During the day I'm always sleepy. I try not to allow myself to take naps during the day because if I do I'll sleep for hours. My big concern though is how I fall asleep. If I tip my head back at any angle I fall asleep. Even if I feel awake if I'm sitting up and tilt my head back on the couch I'm out within secs. When I go to movies I fall asleep instantly because of the angle of the chairs. I've looked at certain types of sleep disorders but I can't find anything that fits my symptoms. My only cue is that my grandfather has sleep apnea...but I don't snore. Do you have any idea whats going on with me?

In case it makes a difference, I'm a 26 year old female and about 20lbs overweight.

Comments for
Why do I fall asleep when I tilt my head back?

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May 20, 2011
 me too
by: Anonymous

well, I do have the same condition, not just when I tilt my head but if I put anything behind my head, like my hand, I feel a tornado inside and I just fall asleep, it's getting too weird as I sleep almost 12 hours a day!!
Aug 22, 2011
 Tilting a head
by: Hawkmoon

It seems to me it's related to blood flow in brain. When you tilt your head, you make certain pressure on your neck arteries and therefore reduce flow of blood in your brain and it just goes into shut down mode. Do you remember it happening when you were young? (or maybe less overweight?) It doesn't have to be medical problem but it might cause some problems in activities that require tilting of head.

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