Undersleepers are at an even bigger risk. Other studies have linked oversleep to diabetes, obesity , and even early death. Oversleep doesn't just happen as a misguided attempt at rewarding yourself. The Harvard Nurses Study estimated that chronic oversleep affects about 4 percent of the population.
These are generally people who work odd hours, have an uncomfortable sleep situation, or a sleeping disorder. People who work early morning or overnight shifts might be oversleeping to compensate for waking up before the sun rises or going to sleep when it's light out.
Doctors recommend using dark curtains and artificial lights to straighten things out rather than medication or supplements. Apps like the University of Michigan's Entrain can also help people reset their circadian clock by logging the amount and type of light they get throughout the day.
When you go to bed, your body cycles between different sleep stages. Without enough sleep, you may feel sluggish and unable to focus. On the other hand, too much sleep can also affect your health. The exact amount of sleep you need each night depends on your daytime habits and activities, health, and sleep patterns.
Older adults may need only six hours of sleep while other people, such as athletes, may need an extra hour of sleep. Occasionally you may require more sleep than normal, such as after strenuous activity or travel. If another hour of shuteye helps you feel your best, then that amount of sleep is right for your body.
If consistently sleeping longer still leaves you tired or even nodding off during the day, it may be a sign of an underlying health issue. Then, on the weekend you might make up the sleep debt by sleeping longer than normal.
Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing temporarily during your sleep. As a result, you snore and choke during the night and feel sleepy during the day. To make up for poor sleep, you may nap during the day and try to sleep longer at night, leading to oversleeping.
Sleep apnea symptoms are often resolved with appropriate treatment. After a sleep study confirming you have sleep apnea, your healthcare provider may write a prescription for a CPAP machine. This machine helps support your breathing during sleep. There are three types of narcolepsy, but in almost all cases you experience excessive daytime sleepiness and overpowering urges to sleep, called sleep attacks.
In secondary narcolepsy , caused by injury to the hypothalamus, you may sleep for more than 10 hours each night. While narcolepsy is a lifelong disorder, it can be managed with treatment, including medication and lifestyle changes. This sleep disorder is characterized by difficulty waking , excessive sleepiness, and the inability to feel rested after sleeping at night or napping during the day.
With this disorder, you may sleep as much as 14 to 18 hours a day. For treatment, doctors often prescribe medications similar to what is prescribed for narcolepsy. These medications may not treat idiopathic hypersomnia as effectively as they treat narcolepsy, however. Additionally, if you have idiopathic hypersomnia, you may need to make lifestyle changes such as limiting alcohol and avoiding late-night activities.
People with depression and anxiety often struggle with sleep disorders or other health disorders. Both oversleeping and difficulty sleeping are effects of depression, and adolescents and older adults with depression are most likely to experience excessive sleepiness.
Several studies have shown a higher rate of depression in long sleepers. Other studies show that people with anxiety disorders are also more likely to experience long sleep, which causes them distress.
Many treatments exist for both depression and anxiety. In addition to cognitive behavioral therapy, a number of prescription medications can improve your symptoms. Consult your healthcare provider to determine which methods of treatment are appropriate for you. Oversleeping impacts your overall health and can have negative effects, just as a lack of sleep does.
Early research suggests that longer sleep:. Both short and long sleep durations are associated with a number of health concerns and chronic diseases:. If you are concerned about oversleeping, talk with your doctor about your sleep and health habits.
You may want to keep a sleep diary to record your nighttime sleep and wake times, as well as any naps you take during the day. Your doctor can use this information to help you identify the cause of your oversleeping and suggest a treatment plan. Regardless of the cause of your oversleeping, you can implement healthy sleep tips to improve your sleep habits:. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Sarah Schmalbruch.
Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know. Loading Something is loading. Email address. Fatigue is one of the earliest symptoms you might experience during pregnancy. In the first trimester, your body produces a lot of progesterone, a hormone that can make you tired.
Other early symptoms of pregnancy include a missed period, sore breasts, nausea, and increased urination. If you think you may be pregnant, you can visit your doctor or take an over-the-counter pregnancy test for confirmation. Being overly tired is one of the main symptoms of diabetes. You may also feel excessively thirsty, use the bathroom more frequently, or lose weight. Since diabetes is caused by too much sugar in your blood, a blood test may be able to help your doctor with a diagnosis.
A common symptom of hypothyroidism is feeling tired. The symptoms of this condition develop slowly, so you might not notice any right away. You can also experience weight gain, depression, or muscle aches and pains. A blood test can help your doctor measure your hormone levels for a proper diagnosis. Underactive thyroid is more common in women and older adults.
Have you been extremely tired for more than six months? You may have chronic fatigue syndrome CFS. Other symptoms you may experience include sore throat, headache, or muscle or joint pain. CFS most commonly affects people in their early 20s to mids. It can also affect children between ages 13 and Narcolepsy, a condition that causes people to fall asleep suddenly, usually develops in people between the ages of 10 and Humans cannot live without sleep.
For many people, sleep debt is to blame for feeling chronically tired throughout the day. It can have negative impacts on your health, like elevating cortisol levels or creating insulin resistance. Think of it as repaying your sleep debt.
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