Oversleeping - How Much Sleep Is Too Much?
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Last Updated on Aug 18, 2022
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We have all heard the saying, ‘too much of anything is good for nothing.’ And this is true even when it comes to sleeping. While a good night’s sleep is truly vital for your health, oversleeping can lead to many medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and more. So, how much sleep is too much sleep? Is oversleeping bad? Is oversleeping a real thing? What happens when you oversleep? We are here with all the answers; read ahead.
What Is Oversleeping?
The amount of sleep you need depends on your age, health, and activity levels. An average adult should sleep 7 to 9 hours a day. However, sleeping duration is more for teenagers and children.
Now, if you sleep more than 8 or 9 hours in a day, it can be categorized as oversleeping. Oversleeping may be due to a medical condition or an unhealthy lifestyle.
When you sleep for more than nine hours in a day, then the condition is known as hypersomnia. This condition can also cause excessive sleepiness during the day, even after sleeping for a long time.
How Much Sleep Is Too Much?
Everybody’s sleep needs are different, and it varies from one individual to another. It is usually recommended to get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep. However, if you need more than 8 or 9 hours of sleep for complete rest, it can be an indication of some underlying condition. Therefore, it is important to speak to a doctor if the sleepiness prolongs.
Your age, medical conditions, and activity level play a huge role in deciding that.
- Infants and children usually need to sleep more than adults.
- People with medical conditions like depression sleep more or less than required.
- A highly active person sleeps more to rest their body.
Normal Sleeping Hours As Per Age
If a person sleeps more than required, he/she is suffering from excessive sleeping.
| Age | Hours of Sleep Per Day |
|---|---|
| Newborn Baby | 14-17 Hours |
| Infants | 12-15 Hours |
| Toddlers | 11-14 Hours |
| School Children | 9-11 Hours |
| Teenagers | 8-10 Hours |
| Adults | 7-9 Hours |
What Causes Oversleeping?
Do you often ask yourselves, ‘Why do I sleep so much?’
Often our stress level, health condition, and physical activity level can be reasons for oversleeping. You must have heard of insomnia, the inability to fall asleep. Hypersomnia, on the other hand, is if someone sleeps more than needed. This can be one of the causes of oversleeping.
According to NCBI, hypersomnia is a medical condition faced by 4-6% of the population. People suffering from hypersomnia sleep for hours during the daytime, and napping is insufficient. People with the disease face symptoms like anxiety, low energy, and memory problems.
Another disorder, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, causes breathlessness during sleeping, leading to feeling lethargic and sleeping for more hours.
Sleeping disorders are not the only reason causing oversleeping. Other factors like alcohol, depression, and medications can make you sleep for longer hours. And some people oversleep only because they love to or are addicted to sleep!
Side Effects of Oversleeping
If you are not sleeping for the optimal hours, you invite various health problems. Some of the negative effects of oversleeping include;
- Fatigue
Can oversleeping make you tired? As crazy as it sounds, oversleeping can lead to feeling more tired than ever. Sleeping all day can disturb your body’s natural rhythm, making you feel tired.
- Headaches
Oversleeping and headaches go hand in hand. Oversleeping may disrupt your night’s sleep and, as a result, cause headaches. Headaches from oversleeping are due to the effect it has on your brain.
- Obesity
Oversleeping resists you from indulging in an active lifestyle. Consequently, this boosts unhealthy weight gain.
- Diabetes
Research shows that an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to diabetes. Oversleeping can increase the risk of diabetes. When people have poor sleep habits, it can cause obesity or weight gain, which increases the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
- Depression
Depression and oversleeping walk hand in hand. Oversleeping can worsen your depression. Many people link depression and excessive sleep as it can make the condition worse.
- Increased Risk of Death
People who sleep more than required are exposed to a risk of premature death. Some studies show that death has an indirect relationship with oversleeping.
How to check for Oversleeping Symptoms
When you oversleep, there are a few other symptoms you may experience other than sleeping for long hours. They include;
- Less Productive
- Low energy
- Anxiety
- Memory issues
- Extreme sleepiness
- Extreme fatigue
If these symptoms are recurrent, then you must visit a healthcare practitioner as a professional will be able to help you overcome your sleeping disorder.
8 Tips to stop oversleeping:
Once you know the problem, it’s easier to cure it. If you have had sleep-related issues for more than six weeks, we recommend seeing a sleep expert. The doctor will ask questions about your sleeping habits, lifestyle, diet, and medications. So, how to feel better after oversleeping? How can one overcome oversleeping? Some oversleeping cures include;
- Keep track of your sleep cycle
When you keep track of your sleep cycle, it helps you understand your sleep pattern better. This will also help you understand the quality of your rest.
- Have a sleep diary
A sleep record enables you to identify any sleep disruptions you may be experiencing. It will also help you understand any habits interfering with your sleep. For instance, let’s say you have caffeine late in the evening, and that’s when you are experiencing oversleeping. So, you will know this is the problem.
- Take a polysomnogram
Polysomnogram is nothing but a sleep study where several tests are conducted to analyze the reason for your sleep disorder. This test can be taken at a sleep center or conducted by a professional at your home. It is a non-invasive and painless test that helps the healthcare practitioner understand your sleep pattern.
- Take multiple sleep latency tests
This test diagnoses narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia and helps overcome your sleep disorder by pointing in the right direction.
- Expose yourself to sunlight as soon as you wake up
Also known as morning light therapy, this is when you expose yourself to sunlight for 30-45 minutes as soon as you wake up. If you are worried about your skin, use sunscreen but it does wonders for your health and sleepiness.
- Avoid oversleeping on weekends
When you oversleep on the weekends, it hampers your sleep cycle. Therefore, maintain a set schedule.
- Try getting enough sleep during the night
You can try sleeping early to see if it is making a difference. Get more sleep during the night.
Avoid taking excessive caffeine after 4 PM
Adenosine keeps building up in our bodies as long as we are awake, which makes us very sleepy at night. But, drinking caffeine interferes with this process. And when you take it close to bedtime, it can delay your sleep.
It’s tempting and advised to sleep more to feel more active. However, as you have learned in the article, sleeping more does not always lead to feeling more energetic.
Conclusion
If you are taking care of your lifestyle, eating habits, sleep schedule and everything else, and still feeling the urge to sleep more, you should plan a visit to a doctor. Everybody loves to sleep, but oversleeping, in the long run, is not suitable for your health. If you can’t stop oversleeping talk to your doctor today!
