Good sleep generally comes with a host of health benefits, but excess sleep can be an invitation to various health diseases and could indicate an unhealthy condition.
Since childhood, we have heard from our parents that everyone requires good sleep to live a quality and healthy life. If unable to do so, one can get ‘sleep deprived’ and this can put you in a ‘sleep debt’. Generally, the number of sleep hours depends on age, but it is said that 7-8 hours of sleep is essential for the human body. While everyone talks about the effects of sleep deprivation, there are fewer who speak on oversleeping. Did you know excess sleep or oversleeping can invite various health problems?
Oversleeping or Hypersomnia is a state where an individual feels excessive sleepiness even in the daytime which interrupts their daily routine work. Even after having a good sleep, one feels tired and sleepy which can be an indicator of something serious. There are times when you, your family, or friends sleep until the sun is half up, which is understandable as sometimes we need extra sleep to recharge ourselves. The concern arises when chronic oversleeping becomes a part of one’s life.
Here are the guidelines for sleep by National Sleep Foundation
Golden Tips to Avoid Oversleeping
Is Oversleeping a Common phenomenon?
Feeling sleepy? You are not alone! According to the research, 40% of people exhibit the symptoms of hypersomnia or excess sleep. While the disorder is not life-threatening, one can have serious consequences of oversleeping which can affect not just your physical health, but mental health as well. It is a condition wherein a person can fall asleep anywhere, anytime!
Now that you are quite familiar with the concept of oversleeping, let us not waste time and dive in to know the causes of oversleeping.
Causes Of Oversleeping
People who suffer from hypersomnia have to go through sleepiness during the daytime which interrupts day-to-day work and unusually long sleeping nights. Let us look into 5 causes of oversleeping:
Disrupted Sleep Cycles
Irregular sleep cycles, excess consumption of alcohol or caffeine, stress, over usage of electronic gadgets, loud noises, bright lights, etc can disrupt an individual’s sleep pattern. This interruption can lead to sleepiness which can further lead to excess sleeping.
Hyperthyroidism
Such physical conditions can influence the sleep patterns of an individual. An underactive thyroid system can contribute to oversleeping even after the night’s rest. If not treated, then hyperthyroidism can affect several heart, bones, breathing and can even lead to weight fluctuations, increase in heart rate, mood disorders.
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism:
- Nervousness
- Fatigue
- Sleep disruption
- Weight fluctuations
- Muscle weakness
- Mood swings
Depression
Depression can be a key factor that can lead to excess sleeping. Usually, anxiety and depression keep people awake at night. It is said that a bidirectional relationship exists between depression and sleep. A study claims that irregular sleep patterns can lead to or is a cause of depression. Generally, depression causes insomnia, but in some cases, it is observed that individuals also go through hypersomnia.
Medications
You would have observed that there are some medications whose side effects include excessive sleepiness. If you are under medication and relate to it, then you must consult your doctor and ask him to change your medications.
Narcolepsy
Did you read it for the first time? Don’t worry, we are here to explain to you! Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that is caused by overwhelming drowsiness, particularly during the daytime. Normally people with this disorder find it hard to wake up for a long period. Change in lifestyle or medications can help you cope with Narcolepsy.
Symptoms of Narcolepsy:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Loss in muscle tone
- Sleep Paralysis
- Hallucinations
- Changes in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
Golden Tips to Avoid Oversleeping
If you are concerned with oversleeping, then you must consult a doctor and start with your medications, before it turns into some serious issue.
We are not doctors, but here are some golden tips that can help you avoid excess sleeping:
#Tip1: Set a regular sleep schedule for yourself. Remember having a timetable in schools and colleges? You have to make a similar chart for yourselves. Fix your time and then follow it. This will help you in avoiding sleep debt and excess sleep.
#Tip2: Consider your sleep environment. Bright lights, loud noises, and most importantly electronic gadgets can be a distraction for you. You should sleep in such an environment where you are not distracted by such activities. This will help you in having a good sleep.
#Tip3: Stay active. This means exercising regularly and having enough exposure to sunlight. It is always recommended that one should not perform any kind of physical activity before going to bed.
#Tip4: Short naps in the afternoon can help you go to bed at night and this can contribute to maintaining a proper routine.
#Tip5: Create healthy eating habits. It is often advised to eat healthy, for obvious reasons. Believe it or not, the way you eat food can influence your sleep patterns. The nutrients you eat matter!
POWER TIP: In the world, we are living today, the root cause of major health problems is gadgets. Similarly, our sleep patterns are influenced by these hyper-cool electronic gadgets. Limit the usage of electronic gadgets 2-3 hours before getting to bed.
If you are an oversleeper the Business Outreach recommends you consult a doctor. You don’t need to panic or stress out, instead changing the lifestyle can help you cure the disorder. It’s not a life-threatening disorder but you must ignore or procrastinate because it’s 2022 and we are living in a world that is full of uncertainty. And one thing which pandemic has taught us is health over anything!
