The amount of sleep you need varies significantly over the course of your lifetime. It depends on your age and activity level as well as your general health and lifestyle habits. For instance, during periods of stress or illness, you may feel an increased need for sleep. But although sleep needs differ over time and from person to person, experts typically recommend that adults should sleep between seven and nine hours each night.
Getting enough sleep at night is important, but just as getting too little sleep can be detrimental to your health, so can getting too much sleep. If you've found that you're sleeping beyond what is considered normal hours, or you find that you're always tired, you may have a health issue that is causing you to sleep too much. Oversleeping is a sign of disordered sleep, and it can be triggered by a wide variety of problems, which should not go ignored.
"Getting too much sleep can have an impact on your health, lead to depression, and ironically make you feel even more tired," Mattress Firm’s sleep health expert Dr. Sujay Kansagra, tells Bustle. "For adults, the average amount of sleep needed is seven to nine hours, although everyone has different needs based on genetics. Generally speaking, sleeping longer than nine hours is considered sleeping too long."
Since it's impossible to diagnose yourself, it's best to see a doctor if you tend to sleep oversleep, as they can find the root of your sleep issues (especially if you haven't noticed any other symptoms). If you do find you sleep too much, here are the health issues that might be the root of your problem, according to experts.
HEADACHE
For some people prone to headaches, sleeping longer than usual on a weekend or vacation can cause head pain. Researchers believe this is due to the effect oversleeping has on certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin. People who sleep too much during the day and disrupt their nighttime sleep may also find themselves suffering from headaches in the morning.
BACK PAIN
There was a time when doctors told people suffering from back pain to head straight to bed. But those days are long gone. You may not even need to curtail your regular exercise program when you are experiencing back pain. Check with your doctor. Doctors now realize the health benefits of maintaining a certain level of activity. And they recommend against sleeping more than usual, when possible.
NARCOLEPSY
Someone with narcolepsy can feel so tired, it often results in an incontrollable urge to sleep, even during the day. "Narcolepsy is a neurologic disorder in which there is instability in the mechanisms that regulate REM sleep (or deep sleep)," Dr. Kansagra says. "It is thought to be due to a deficiency in a neurotransmitter called orexin (or hypocretin). With less of this neurotransmitter, the brain is not able to regulate REM sleep, so it's starts intruding where it shouldn't, often causing severe sleepiness and immediate fatigue."
ANEMIA
If you're someone who is always fatigued, you might be anemic. Anemia occurs when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells, which results in a lack of oxygen being carried throughout your body. It can also be caused by an iron deficiency. It often results in oversleeping, as it can make people feel very tired. In fact, it is the leading cause of fatigue in women.
People with depression and other mental health issues may also sleep more than what is considered common. "A depression nap is not a medical term, but it is one that has been popularized on social media," Dr. Kansagra says. "It refers to the use of a nap to escape unwanted feelings, such as feeling sad or upset. Although napping is good for your health and can improve sleep deprivation, it should not be used to avoid feelings or problems. It is important to speak with a mental health professional about ways to improve both your mood and your sleep."
OBESITY
Sleeping too much or too little could make you weigh too much, as well. One recent study showed that people who slept for nine or 10 hours every night were 21% more likely to become obese over a six-year period than were people who slept between seven and eight hours. This association between sleep and obesity remained the same even when food intake and exercise were taken into account.
HYPOTHYROIDISM
Issues with your thyroid, such as hypothyroidism, may also be to blame when it comes to sleeping too much. An under-active thyroid can not only result in fatigue, but poorer quality sleep, according to The Mayo Clinic. If you're not feeling rested, this could lead to sleeping more hours to satisfy that tired feeling.
DEPRESSION
Although insomnia is more commonly linked to depression than oversleeping is, roughly 15% of people with depression sleep too much. This may in turn make their depression worse. That's because regular sleep habits are important to the recovery process.
Heart disease . The Nurses' Health Study involved nearly 72,000 women. A careful analysis of the data from that study showed that women who slept nine to 11 hours per night were 38% more likely to have coronary heart disease than women who slept eight hours. Researchers have not yet identified a reason for the connection between oversleeping and heart disease.
WEAK IMMUNE SYSTEM
If your immune system is poor, it might also cause you to sleep more than usual. "When you’re sick, your body needs energy and proper sleep to help you recover," Dr. Kansagra says. "Often times, being sick can lead to feeling weak and tired. If this is the case, it is extremely important not to skimp on sleep as it is vital for proper immune function. Believe it or not, a good night’s rest can help you fight off sickness and keep your immune system sharp."
DIABETES
Those with diabetes often experience sleep disturbances, which can include both difficulty sleeping and sleeping too much, according to research in the Journal of Sleep Research. High blood sugar can cause fatigue in people with diabetes, which could lead to an increased desire for sleep.
DEATH
Multiple studies have found that people who sleep nine or more hours a night have significantly higher death rates than people sleeping seven to eight hours a night. No specific reason for this correlation has been determined. But researchers found that depression and low socioeconomic status are also associated with longer sleep. They speculate these factors could be related to the observed increase in mortality for people who sleep too much.
In conclusion whatsoever, the cause of your oversleeping, practicing good sleep hygiene will help you reap the benefits of a healthy seven to eight hours of sleep each night.
Experts recommend keeping the same bedtimes and wake times every day. They also recommend avoiding caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime. Exercising regularly and making your bedroom a comfortable environment that's conducive to sleep will help you get the amount of sleep you need.
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