8 Causes You Might Not Realize
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-606353439-7dd3727cf0434611b9ef1d833afa9d64.jpg?w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1 "8 Causes You Might Not Realize")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/GettyImages-606353439-7dd3727cf0434611b9ef1d833afa9d64.jpg)
You may be sleeping too much, also called binge sleeping, for reasons such as sleep disorders, mental health, and physical health problems. Sleeping too much means sleeping nine hours or more in 24 hours.
Excessive sleeping can be the result of sleep disorders, such as:
- Sleep-wake rhythm disturbances: These disorders are linked to misalignments between sleep-wake cycles and light-dark cycles.
- Hypersomnolence disorder or hypersomnia: You are excessively sleepy but also tend to sleep longer.
- Narcolepsy: You feel the need to sleep or fall asleep throughout the day.
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): This condition causes interruptions in breathing while you sleep. OSA can cause snoring or pauses in breathing.
- Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS): Tingling, crawling, burning, or other sensations in your legs cause a strong urge to move them.
Prolonged sleep may be due to anxiety or depression. Both mental health conditions can contribute to sleepiness.
Conditions that affect your physical health may prevent you from staying awake longer, such as:
- Diabetes
- Fibromyalgia, which causes musculoskeletal pain and fatigue
- Hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid)
- Chronic (continuous) pain
When you feel sick, it’s common to sleep longer than usual. People suffering from respiratory infections, such as the flu, colds or COVID-19, often sleep longer. However, sleep is not necessarily restorative.
Some medications may make you sleep longer than normal due to sedative effects or drowsiness.
Examples include:
Stopping the use of certain illicit or illicit drugs may cause excessive sleepiness. These effects can occur with stimulant drugs like amphetamine or cocaine.
Alcohol has sedative effects and therefore can make you feel drowsy and drowsy. Alcohol consumption is also a cause of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), which makes it difficult to stay awake. You may fall asleep unintentionally or when you’re not supposed to.
Sleeping too much may initially result from a sleep deficit. You may sleep too much in one or more 24-hour periods to make up for the sleep you lost due to a hectic day, week, or month, known as sleep debt.
Certain environmental factors can contribute to excessive sleeping. They prevent you from getting enough sleep beyond your waking hours.
Examples include:
- Limited time to sleep due to the nature of certain jobs (for example, being a caregiver)
- Not allowing enough time in sleep schedules
- Shift work this goes against the typical circadian rhythm
The amount of sleep you need depends on several factors, including your age.
In general, people need the following amounts of sleep:
| Age | Number of hours of sleep |
| 4 months to 1 year | 12-16 |
| 1-2 years | 11-14 |
| 3-5 years | 10-13 |
| 6-12 | 9-12 |
| 13-18 | 8-10 |
| 18 years and over | 7-8 |
If you sleep too much, you may notice other symptoms, such as:
- Anxiety
- Loss of appetite
- Delayed speech or thinking
- Feeling confused when you wake up
- Oversight
- Irritation
- Lack of energy
- Taking a nap during the day but still sleepy
- Rest
- Difficulty waking up
Sleeping too long does not cause diseases like diabetes and heart disease. However, this may increase your risk.
A higher risk of death from any cause has also been linked to excessive sleeping. The risk of dying from heart disease or stroke increases with the duration of sleep.
The risk of death has been shown to increase with each additional hour of sleep as follows:
- Nine o’clock with a 14% higher risk
- 10 hours with a 30% higher risk
- 11 a.m. with a 47% higher risk
Treatment depends on the cause of your excessive sleeping. For example, treating cold and flu symptoms can help you return to a regular sleep schedule. A doctor may prescribe a stimulant or sodium oxybate to make it easier to wake up if EDS is the cause.
A sleep diary can help you record how long you sleep and how you feel after waking up. It can also help you record any factors that may be affecting your sleep, such as medications or food.
You can also use a fitness tracker with sleep tracking capabilities to monitor certain aspects of sleep like deep or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
There’s no need to worry about sleeping in on a weekend. Watch out for more acute changes, like sleeping normally for eight hours, then suddenly sleeping 11 hours a night.
See a doctor if you think the reason you’re sleeping so much might be a sign of an underlying condition. Understanding and treating it could help you start getting healthier sleep.
Thank you for your comments!
