Spending 12 hours in bed can be normal occasionally, especially after intense activity or illness, but regularly needing that much sleep (more than 9 hours for adults) might signal needing more rest ("long sleeper"), or an underlying issue like sleep apnea, depression, or other conditions, so consulting a doctor is wise if it's consistent. While some people naturally need more sleep due to genetics or health, consistent oversleeping warrants a check-up to rule out disorders, say Sleep Foundation, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Sleep Education.
Well, yes and no. A good night's sleep is crucial to development during earlier years such as 13--21. So around 8--12 hours is pretty good. But it can also become excessive, too much sleep is known to cause fatigue and lack of enthusiasm throughout the day. So no, I suggest sleeping no more than 8--9 hours a day.
Sleep needs can vary from person to person, but in general, experts recommend that healthy adults get an average of 7 to 9 hours per night of shuteye. If you regularly need more than 8 or 9 hours of sleep per night to feel rested, it might be a sign of an sleep or medical problem, Gamaldo says.
The koala is the animal that sleeps approximately 90% of the day (20-22 hours), a necessity due to its low-energy eucalyptus diet requiring intensive digestion, making it the ultimate champion of sleep in the animal kingdom, followed closely by sloths and bats.
If you have ADHD, you are more likely than others to sleep for shorter periods overall, have problems initiating sleep and remaining asleep, and you may even develop sleep disorders.
The ADHD "30% Rule" is a guideline suggesting that executive functions (like self-regulation, planning, and emotional control) in people with ADHD develop about 30% slower than in neurotypical individuals, meaning a 10-year-old might function more like a 7-year-old in these areas, requiring adjusted expectations for maturity, task management, and behavior. It's a tool for caregivers and adults with ADHD to set realistic goals, not a strict scientific law, helping to reduce frustration by matching demands to the person's actual developmental level (executive age) rather than just their chronological age.
Many people with ADHD find it difficult to wind down at bedtime, even when they feel mentally exhausted. Their bodies remain restless, leading to tossing and turning, difficulty falling asleep, and poor sleep quality overall. This cycle of restlessness and sleep disturbance can be exhausting.
Yes, the Navy SEAL sleep trick (an 8-minute power nap with elevated legs) is a real technique for quick rest, popularized by former SEAL Jocko Willink, that helps improve alertness and reduce fatigue, though its effectiveness depends on individual relaxation skills and it's not a substitute for full nighttime sleep. The method involves lying down, elevating your feet above your heart (on a chair or couch), relaxing facial muscles, dropping shoulders, and clearing your mind for about 8-10 minutes to promote relaxation and blood flow, preventing grogginess.
Idiopathic Hypersomnia
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.
Musk goes to bed around 3 a.m. and gets about 6 hours of sleep every night. Although he's not getting eight hours a night, Musk has upped his sleeping schedule from being nearly nonexistent in the past. In May 2023, Musk told CNBC that he's no longer pulling all-nighters.
10 hours before bed: No more caffeine. 3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol. 2 hours before bed: No more work. 1 hour before bed: No more screen time (shut off all phones, TVs and computers).
Best survival rates were found among those who slept seven hours a night. A group sleeping eight hours was 12% more likely to die within the six year period than those sleeping seven hours, other factors being equal. Even those with as little as five hours lived longer than those with eight hours or more nightly.
Addressing Mental Health: The desire to stay in bed all day can be a symptom of depression or emotional distress. It's important to recognize the signs of mental health struggles and seek professional support when needed.
Einstein slept nearly 10 hours a day. He was known to be a firm believer in the importance of a good night's sleep, often aiming for around 10 hours of rest. However, his approach to sleep was somewhat unconventional.
It's important to remember that oversleeping is a possible symptom of depression and that oversleeping doesn't cause depression. But it can exacerbate and worsen depression symptoms, Dr. Drerup explains. “If someone's oversleeping, they may wake up and feel like they've missed out on the day,” she says.
This may be due to shiftwork, family demands (such as a new baby), study or social life. Other causes include sleep disorders, medication, and medical and psychiatric illnesses. Hypersomnia can be helped or cured with a few adjustments to lifestyle habits.
Dakota Johnson is keeping it very real about self-care, saying her top priority is sleep, and she's simply not a functional human on anything less than 10 hours 😴✨ In a chat with The Wall Street Journal, she revealed she can even sleep 14 hours on a good day, especially when she's not working.
Own Your 3-Foot Space In Navy SEAL training, there's a simple but profound principle: Own your 3-foot space. It means focusing on what's directly within your control—your actions, your attitude, your effort—no matter how chaotic the environment around you becomes.
A prime example is the box breathing technique, famously used by the Navy Seals, known as the 4-4-4-4 method. This simple yet effective method involves a cycle of inhaling for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 4 seconds, exhaling for 4 seconds, and then pausing for 4 seconds before the next inhalation.
Drinks to help you sleep
The ADHD "2-Minute Rule" suggests doing any task taking under two minutes immediately to build momentum, but it often backfires by derailing focus due to weak working memory, time blindness, and transition difficulties in people with ADHD. A better approach is to write down these quick tasks on a separate "catch-all" list instead of interrupting your main work, then schedule specific times to review and tackle them, or use a slightly longer timeframe like a 5-minute rule to prevent getting lost down "rabbit holes".
Adult ADHD symptoms may include:
The 10-3 rule for ADHD is a productivity strategy involving 10 minutes of focused work followed by a 3-minute break, designed to match the ADHD brain's need for short bursts of effort, making tasks less overwhelming and procrastination easier to manage by building momentum with quick, structured intervals. It helps individuals with ADHD ease into tasks, offering a tangible goal (10 mins) and an immediate reward (3 mins) to keep focus without burnout, often incorporating movement or preferred activities during breaks.