Why Do I Sleep So Much? How Much Sleep Is Too Much Sleep
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Sleep plays a key role in physical and mental health, but getting too much sleep can often be as harmful as sleep deprivation. Requiring more than seven to nine hours of sleep can indicate a number of mental and physical health challenges. Below, learn why excess sleep occurs and when to seek the support of a professional.
What is hypersomnia?
Hypersomnia is a symptom of any condition that makes you excessively sleepy during the day, even if you get enough sleep at night. Someone with hypersomnia may fall asleep multiple times throughout the day without intending to. They may struggle to function appropriately at work or school or maintain social connections.
Symptoms of hypersomnia
Symptoms of hypersomnia may include the following:
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Loss of appetite
- Low energy
- Difficult waking
- Confusion upon waking
- Memory problems
- Difficulty focusing
Why do I sleep so much? Sleep apnea, sleep disorders, and other possible causes of excessive sleepiness
For some people, excessive sleep is due to insufficient sleep at night. Adults should get between seven and nine hours of sleep every night, but many conditions can contribute to excessive sleepiness.
Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes a person to stop breathing multiple times throughout the night, interrupting their sleep. Many other conditions can impact sleep, inducing insomnia, REM sleep behavior disorder, restless leg syndrome, and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders.
Depression
Depression and sleep problems are connected in many ways. About 75% of people with depression have a difficult time sleeping, and people with insomnia may have a higher risk of developing depression.
Lifestyle and environment
Particular lifestyle and environmental factors can impact sleep. For example, people with young children or those who work swing shifts often face long periods of interrupted sleep.
Heart disease, altered immune function, and other physical health impacts of too much sleep
Some people might be aware that not getting enough sleep can harm one’s health, but getting too much sleep can also negatively impact physical health.
Heart disease
While getting enough nighttime sleep can be important for heart health, research has found that too much sleep can be detrimental. In one study, people who slept for longer than eight hours a day had an increased risk of heart disease or disease in the blood vessels in the brain. Compared to people who got between six and eight hours of sleep, people who slept between nine and ten hours had a 17% increased risk. Those sleeping more than ten hours daily had a 41% increased risk.
Altered immune function
Research has found that people with a short (less than six hours) or long sleep duration (greater than nine hours) have a higher risk for infection. In this study, people who slept more than nine hours a night were 44% more likely to report an infection than those who slept less than six hours a night (27%).
Other impacts on physical health
Other physical health risks of too much sleep include increased risks of obesity, diabetes, headaches, and dying from a medical condition.
How can too much sleep affect mental health?
Research has found that sleeping too much is associated with a number of mental health conditions, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and dysthymic disorder. Sleep and mental health may have a biphasic relationship, meaning that sleep disturbances can contribute to mental health challenges, and mental health challenges can contribute to sleep disturbances.
How much sleep should you get?
Experts recommend that adults sleep between seven and nine hours every night. Some research has found that about ⅓ of adults get less than seven hours. So, how much sleep is too much sleep? Sleeping longer than nine hours a night is generally considered oversleeping.
In some cases, sleeping too much doesn’t necessarily mean getting over nine hours of sleep. Someone may get the recommended hours of sleep every night, but if they don’t get enough quality sleep, they may still fall asleep without intending to during the day or require a nap.
What you can do
If you are tempted to take naps during the day or are trying not to sleep too much, below are some tips you can use to improve your sleep habits:
- Establish a regular sleep schedule: Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day. Regular sleep patterns can help regulate your sleep, which can alleviate fatigue.
- Get regular exercise: Exercising during the day can help you sleep more soundly at night, but try not to exercise within two hours of bedtime, as doing so can make falling asleep more difficult.
- Use caffeine sparingly: A cup of coffee or two a day can help you get through slumps but also impact sleep quality after around 2 pm.
- Drink water: Fatigue is an early sign of dehydration, so ensuring you drink enough water during the day can give you more energy. You can also get fluids from fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water, like zucchini, strawberries, melons, and squash.
- Avoid napping if possible: Napping can affect the quality of sleep you get at night, making you more tired.
- Manage stress: Stress can use up a lot of energy, and sleep can be a way to avoid it. By learning to manage stress positively, you may have more energy.
When to seek help
Everyone has days when they feel extra tired, but requiring excess sleep can be a sign of serious physical or mental health conditions or challenges. Knowing when to seek help from a medical professional may reduce these risks.
Why do I sleep so much? When excessive sleepiness can be a warning sign
Regularly needing more than eight or nine hours of sleep a night can be a sign of a mental health or medical problem. Some possible causes of fatigue can include:
- Sleep disorders
- HIV
- Lyme disease
- COVID-19
- Lupus
- Chronic pain
- Flu
- COPD
- Pneumonia
- Congestive failure
- Hormonal imbalances
- Fibromyalgia
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Vitamin deficiencies
If you are sleeping between seven and nine hours a night and are still experiencing extreme sleepiness during the day, or if you have developed other symptoms, talk to your doctor right away.
Excess sleep and mental health
If your physical health is not contributing to your need for excessive sleep, these symptoms may be related to your mental health. In this case, working with a therapist can help you learn to identify what may be contributing to your fatigue, whether it's an underlying mental health condition, like depression or bipolar disorder, or something else, like grief or emotional exhaustion. In addition, you may learn coping skills to manage your symptoms.
Getting to an in-person therapy appointment can be challenging if you’re tired, and driving when you’re experiencing fatigue can also be unsafe. With an online therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can attend sessions from the comfort of your home, even when you don’t want to get out of bed. Many people who sign up can be matched with a provider in as little as 48 hours so that you can get started soon.
Research has found that online therapy is effective for sleep therapy. One study comparing in-person and online CBT for major depressive disorder found that “both treatments demonstrated comparable significant improvements in depressive symptoms and quality of life from baseline to post-treatment” and that online CBT had higher acquiescence and fewer dropouts.
Takeaway
Is it okay to sleep 12 hours a day?
Sleep-wake cycles exist to support the body’s circadian rhythm, which regulates sleepiness and awakeness and keeps a person awake during the day. Good sleep hygiene can improve this rhythm and reduce the chances of sleep challenges like idiopathic hypersomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia. If you sleep 12 hours a day, you get more sleep than is recommended for most adults, which can harm this cycle. Changing your lifestyle habits, talking to your doctor, avoiding daytime naps, and waking up with the sun are a few sleep habits that may help you stay awake more frequently during the day and get better sleep.
What is the reason for feeling sleepy all the time?
Feeling sleepy all the time can have many causes, including physical challenges like a traumatic brain injury or mental health challenges like psychiatric illnesses and stress. Some people experience excessive sleepiness because they aren’t getting enough deep sleep at night, even though they’re having longer sleep than recommended for their age group. A long sleep duration is associated with several health risks, so contact a healthcare provider to determine the cause. You can also talk to a therapist to support improving your sleep environment and finding self-help strategies for sleep inertia (also called “sleep drunkenness”). A doctor may prescribe prescription medications, such as sleep medicine, to help you fall asleep at night if insomnia is the cause of your sleeping during the day or having a long sleep duration, causing sleep debt.
The BetterHelp platform is not intended to provide any information regarding which medication or medical treatment may be appropriate for you. The content provides generalized information that is not specific to one individual. Do not take any action without consulting a qualified medical professional.
Why am I oversleeping all of a sudden?
If you are suddenly oversleeping, you may have a medical or mental health condition causing symptoms. Fatigue can be caused by common vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as iron deficiencies, which can cause anemia. Depression is also a common cause of oversleeping. Reach out to your doctor or therapist to discuss symptoms in more depth.
What deficiency causes too much sleep?
Below are a few deficiencies that may cause exhaustion and oversleeping:
- Iron
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D
- Folate
- Magnesium
- Vitamin C
- Potassium
Many deficiencies can be treated with over-the-counter supplements and multivitamins, but talk to your doctor before using one, as some supplements can interact negatively with foods and medications.
How many hours counts as oversleeping?
Any amount of sleep over nine hours a night is oversleeping, as adults are recommended to get seven to nine hours of sleep. Babies, children, and teens may naturally need more sleep. For example, infants are advised to get 12 to 16 hours of sleep, including naps. Adults who sleep more than nine hours a night may seek support from a sleep doctor to understand the cause.
Why does my body need so much sleep?
If your body is exhausted most of the time and you need more than nine hours of sleep a night, you may be experiencing a sleep disorder, physical illness, deficiency, or mental health condition. Talk to a doctor to learn more about the cause.
What does psychology say about a person who sleeps a lot?
Psychology research has shown that sleeping too much is often connected to mental health conditions like depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These conditions include symptoms like a change in sleep schedules and a lack of motivation, which can make waking up difficult.
Why do I always want to sleep and have no energy?
If you always want to sleep and have no energy, you might have an underlying condition causing symptoms, such as a mental health condition or physical illness. Deficiencies can also lead to these symptoms. Talk to your doctor or therapist if you suspect these causes.
Is oversleeping a symptom of depression?
Oversleeping is a symptom of depression for some people. The official symptom is “changes in sleep habits, such as oversleeping or struggling to fall or stay asleep.” People who don’t have hypersomnia and depression might struggle with the opposite: insomnia. Insomnia can cause someone difficulty falling asleep at night. Contrarily, someone may have insomnia and hypersomnia simultaneously if they struggle to fall asleep at night but sleep long hours during the day and struggle to wake up.
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