Miya Pearson
Sleep is essential for health, but oversleeping has been linked to several health problems and could indicate an underlying medical condition. If you're regularly sleeping for more than 8 or 9 hours and still feel tired, it's recommended that you consult a healthcare professional. Conditions like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and hypersomnia could be the cause of your excessive sleepiness. Additionally, certain medications, substances, and lifestyle factors can also contribute to oversleeping. While the amount of sleep needed varies, consistently sleeping more than the recommended 7 to 9 hours per night on a regular basis may increase your risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and depression.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Recommended sleep duration for healthy adults | 7 to 9 hours |
| Excessive sleep may be caused by | Sleep disorders, medications, substances, or underlying health conditions |
| Potential health risks of oversleeping | Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, increased risk of death, depression, headaches, back pain |
| Condition associated with excessive sleepiness | Hypersomnia |
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What You'll Learn
It could be a sign of an underlying health condition
Oversleeping, or "long sleeping", is generally considered sleeping for more than 9 hours per night. While temporary oversleeping can be a result of recovering from lost sleep, chronic oversleeping may indicate an underlying health condition.
If you regularly sleep for more than 9 hours and still feel tired during the day, it is recommended that you consult a healthcare professional. They may suggest visiting a sleep specialist, who can help diagnose the cause of your oversleeping. This may involve keeping a sleep journal, wearing an actigraphy sensor on your wrist, or performing other tests.
There are several underlying health conditions that can cause oversleeping. One of the most common is hypersomnia, which is a condition that makes individuals feel extremely sleepy during the day, even if they get a healthy amount of sleep at night. Other potential causes include sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that causes brief pauses in breathing during sleep, and restless legs syndrome, a brain disorder that causes an urge to move the legs when resting.
Additionally, excessive sleepiness may be a side effect of certain medications or substances, such as alcohol or drugs. In some cases, oversleeping has been linked to mental health issues such as depression, which can create a cycle of worsening symptoms. Furthermore, research has found correlations between oversleeping and physical health issues, including obesity, heart disease, and an increased risk of death.
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May increase the risk of several health conditions
Oversleeping is associated with a host of medical problems and could indicate an underlying health condition. If you regularly sleep for more than nine hours and still feel tired during the day, it is recommended that you consult a healthcare professional.
Frequent oversleeping may indicate hypersomnia, a condition that makes you feel extremely sleepy during the day, even if you get a healthy amount of rest at night. Idiopathic hypersomnia is the most common type, with no known cause. Other types of hypersomnia may be related to mental or physical health problems or medications. Treatment for hypersomnia includes medication, changes to sleep habits, and therapy.
Regularly sleeping too long may also increase your risk of several health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and depression. One study found that people who slept for nine or ten hours every night were 21% more likely to become obese over a six-year period than those who slept between seven and eight hours. Another study showed that women who slept nine to eleven hours per night were 38% more likely to develop coronary heart disease. Additionally, around 15% of people with depression sleep too much, which may worsen their condition by disrupting their regular sleep habits.
Furthermore, multiple studies have found a correlation between sleeping nine or more hours and significantly higher death rates. While no specific reason has been determined, researchers have noted that depression and low socioeconomic status are strongly associated with longer sleep. These factors may contribute to the increased mortality risk observed in people who sleep excessively.
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Could be a side effect of medication or substance use
Oversleeping could be a side effect of medication or substance use. Many medications can cause drowsiness as a side effect or an unintended consequence. It is important to know before taking a medication if there is a chance it may make you sleepy, as this may impact your ability to drive or operate machinery.
Some common medications that can cause sleepiness include:
- Antidepressants: Tricyclics, such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Vanatrip), doxepin (Silenor, Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil, Tofranil PM), and trimipramine (Surmontil)
- Antihistamines: Brompheniramine (Bromfed, Dimetapp), diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine (Vistaril, Atarax), and meclizine (Antivert)
- Antipsychotics and anticonvulsants: Carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin), topiramate (Topamax), and valproic acid (Depakote)
- Antibiotics: Amoxicillin, azithromycin, and ciprofloxacin
- Drugs for nausea and vomiting: Antiemetics, such as cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
- Opioids and other prescription pain medications: Morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and tramadol
- Muscle relaxants: Carisoprodol (Soma)
- Sedatives: Benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan)
- Cancer treatments: Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy
If you are experiencing excessive sleepiness, it is important to speak with a healthcare professional. They can help you modify your treatment plan or provide support. For example, they may recommend adjusting the dose or changing the medication causing the drowsiness.
Additionally, maintaining healthy sleep habits and limiting substances that can cause tiredness, such as alcohol, may help reduce the impact of medication-induced sleepiness.
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May cause temporary anxiety, fogginess, and low energy
Oversleeping, or "long sleeping", is associated with a host of health problems and could indicate an underlying medical condition. It is defined as regularly sleeping for more than 9 hours per night for an adult, which is above the National Sleep Foundation's recommendations. Temporary oversleeping could be a result of recovering from a period of lost sleep, but it may also cause temporary anxiety, fogginess, and low energy.
Fogginess after a poor night's sleep is not uncommon, as sleep has a significant impact on brain function. A healthy amount of sleep is vital for "brain plasticity", or the brain's ability to adapt to input. If you sleep too little, you may become unable to process what you've learned during the day and have more trouble remembering it in the future.
Oversleeping can also cause low energy. This may be because you are sleeping too much during the day and disrupting your nighttime sleep, which can cause fatigue and tiredness during the day. In addition, people who sleep too much during the day may be suffering from a condition known as hypersomnia, which makes it hard or impossible to stay awake during the day, even with a full night's rest.
Temporary oversleeping can also be caused by certain medications, substances, or lifestyle factors. For example, drinking too much alcohol or taking certain drugs can cause excessive daytime sleepiness. In addition, people of lower socioeconomic status may have less access to healthcare and therefore more undiagnosed illnesses, which may cause oversleeping.
If you are regularly sleeping too much, it is important to speak to a healthcare professional. They can help determine the underlying cause and recommend treatments such as medication or lifestyle changes.
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Could indicate hypersomnia
Oversleeping, or "long sleeping", is generally considered sleeping for more than 9 hours in a 24-hour period. While temporary oversleeping could be the result of recovering from lost sleep, chronic oversleeping may indicate an underlying health condition.
If you regularly sleep for more than 9 hours and still feel tired during the day, it is recommended that you consult a healthcare professional. This could be a sign of hypersomnia, a condition that makes you feel extremely sleepy during the day, even if you get a healthy amount of rest at night. Idiopathic hypersomnia, the most common type, is when someone sleeps for long periods and wakes up feeling confused or irritable, without any known cause.
A healthcare provider will diagnose hypersomnia based on the symptoms and their impact on your health. They may suggest visiting a sleep specialist, keeping a sleep journal, or wearing an actigraphy sensor to track disruptions in your sleep-wake cycle. Treatment for hypersomnia includes medication to help stay awake, as well as changes to sleep habits and therapy.
If you are diagnosed with hypersomnia, you will need to inform the relevant authorities, such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), as excessive sleepiness may impact your ability to drive.
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Frequently asked questions
Always sleeping could be a sign of underlying health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, or depression. It is also associated with a higher risk of death.
Symptoms of always sleeping include hypersomnia, which is a condition that makes you feel extremely sleepy during the day, and idiopathic hypersomnia, where a person sleeps for long periods and wakes up feeling confused or irritable.
If you are always sleeping, it is recommended that you speak to a healthcare professional as it could indicate an underlying health condition. They may suggest a sleep study or modifications to your treatment plan.
