An “Eye-Closing” Experience: A Rare Case of Hypersomnia Occurring Two Years After COVID-19

Idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a central hypersomnolence disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and prolonged unrefreshing sleep. Postinfectious IH has been reported following viral illnesses, including COVID-19, typically in young adults shortly after infection. We report the unique case of a 54-year-old man who developed persistent and progressive hypersomnolence two years after recovering from COVID-19. Polysomnography revealed normal sleep architecture without sleep-disordered breathing, and a multiple sleep latency test showed a mean sleep latency of 2.6 minutes without sleep-onset REM periods, confirming severe hypersomnolence. Results of extensive neurological, metabolic, and autoimmune evaluations were unremarkable. Given the delayed onset, and excluding other etiologies, his condition was attributed to a potential temporal link to post-COVID IH. This case expands the spectrum of post-COVID neurological sequelae, highlighting a need for long-term surveillance for late-onset hypersomnia following SARS-CoV-2 infection.