Excessive Sleep: Root Causes and Strategies to Reduce Oversleeping
Who needs a nap when you can snooze all day, right? Well, not so fast there, sleepyhead! Consistently catching more Z's than the Daily Mail's headlines might just land you in hot water, health-wise.
Let's dive into why you can't seem to pull yourself away from bed, the effects of those long naps, and ways to shake off that lingering slumber.
How Much Sleep Should You Actually Get?
Expert advice says that, on average, every adult should aim for between seven to nine hours of shut-eye nightly[1]. For kids, it's a bit more flexible, depending on their age – from eight to sixteen hours[1].
Got Some Z's On Your Mind?
Thirteen hours of sleep in one go? Not so fast! Only if it's an occasional thing happens innocently, maybe from waking up after a late night or when you're under the weather. If sleepiness is your constant companion, you might want to investigate further.
Why the Long Snoozes?
The possible suspects for chronic oversleeping include:
- Undiagnosed sleep apnea
- Hypersomnia
- Narcolepsy
- Depression
- Persistent pain
- Use of certain substances
Is Your Inner Hibernator Acting Up? Can You Identify the Symptoms?
Occasional need for snoozefests is no biggie, but if you're consistently sleeping more than you ought to, watch out for the following:
- Exhaustion during the day
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Mood swings
- Feeling groggy
Does Snoozing Too Much Make You Tired?
You betcha! Sleeping too little or too much can mess with your sleep-wake cycle and leave you counting sheep well into the night[4]. So, while you may be hopping into bed for an extended nap or a weekend of lounging, you could find yourself feeling more sleepy than usual.
What's the Harm in Getting a Little Extra Rest?
When you're up to your eyeballs in dreams instead of reality, your body might be at risk of:
- Heart troubles
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Depression
- Stroke
- Higher mortality risk
These repercussions can stem from disrupted sleep patterns and imbalanced sleep needs. A one-time binge on sleep is typically fine, but extended snoozefests could signal an underlying sleep disorder.
Ready to Ditch Those Long Naps? Here's How to Do It:
- Stick to a regular sleep schedule: Try to hit the hay and rise at the same time every day, even on weekends[2]
- Create a sleep-friendly environment: Dark, quiet, and cool will do the trick[2]
- Limit blue light exposure before bed: No more late-night computer time or binge-watching TV[3]
- Revamp your lifestyle habits: The right balance of exercise, diet, and stress management helps[3]
So, there you have it! Better clocks, sleep-inducing sanctuaries, and a life sans screens- all you need to nix those long naps and get back to the land of the living.
For extra assistance, give the ShutEye® app a try. This science-backed sleep companion will monitor your sleep cycles, offering tailored tips to help you achieve quality slumber. Sweet dreams!
- If you're consistently sleeping more than the recommended seven to nine hours for an adult, you might want to investigate potential causes such as undiagnosed sleep apnea, hypersomnia, narcolepsy, depression, persistent pain, or the use of certain substances.
- A one-time binge on sleep is typically fine, but extended snoozefests could signal an underlying sleep disorder, increasing the risk of heart troubles, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, depression, stroke, and a higher mortality risk.
- To ditch those long naps, create a sleep-friendly environment (dark, quiet, and cool), limit blue light exposure before bed, stick to a regular sleep schedule, and consider revamping your lifestyle habits (exercise, diet, and stress management).
- For further assistance, you could try the ShutEye® app, a science-backed sleep companion that monitors your sleep cycles and offers tailored tips to help you achieve quality slumber, promoting overall health-and-wellness.
