Oversleeping (hypersomnia) is often caused by poor sleep quality/quantity, sleep disorders (like apnea, narcolepsy), mental health conditions (depression), certain medications, chronic illnesses (hypothyroidism, anemia), alcohol/drug use, head injuries, chronic pain, and even genetics, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness despite adequate rest. It can be your body catching up on sleep debt or a sign of an underlying health issue needing medical attention, notes the Better Health Channel.
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About excessive sleepiness
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.
Most adults consistently need the same amount of sleep throughout their adult years. If you've ruled out those conditions and are still hitting the snooze button after 9 hours under the covers, it might be a clue that you have an underlying medical condition such as heart disease, diabetes or depression.
Narcolepsy is a condition that makes people very sleepy during the day and can cause them to fall asleep suddenly. Some people also have other symptoms, such as muscle weakness when they feel strong emotions. The symptoms can have serious effects on daily life.
Constant fatigue can sometimes indicate a wide range of underlying medical conditions — like iron deficiency, hypothyroidism, or diabetes. There are many ways you can reduce daily fatigue. Some examples include getting more sunshine and exercise, limiting caffeine, and eating balanced meals.
Vitamin B12 is involved in the process of creating melatonin. View Source , the hormone that helps control sleep. Preliminary research suggests that a lack of vitamin B12 may be linked to short sleep, trouble sleeping, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Vitamin B6 may benefit people with insomnia.
Anything over 9 hours of sleep is considered oversleeping.
Oversleeping affects people who regularly get much more sleep than their body physically requires. This doesn't apply to extra sleep experienced while overcoming illness, jetlag or extreme workouts.
The 3-2-1 bedtime method is a simple sleep hygiene strategy: stop eating 3 hours before bed, stop working 2 hours before bed, and stop using screens (phones, tablets, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping your body transition to rest by reducing stimulants and digestive load for better sleep quality. A more detailed version adds 10 hours (no caffeine) and 0 (no snoozing) for a 10-3-2-1-0 rule.
The koala is famous for sleeping around 20-22 hours a day, which is about 90% of the day, due to their low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves that requires extensive digestion. Other extremely sleepy animals include the sloth (up to 20 hours) and the brown bat (around 20 hours), with some snakes like the ball python also sleeping up to 23 hours daily.
While getting extra rest occasionally isn't usually a cause for concern, consistently oversleeping can be linked to underlying health issues, such as depression, sleep disorders, or chronic illness. It may also contribute to daytime grogginess, headaches, and increased risk for certain health problems.
You probably keep falling asleep when you sit down because you've got a lot of sleep debt or you're out of sync with your circadian rhythm. You may also be falling asleep when you sit down due to narcolepsy, sleep apnea, alcohol, anxiety, depression, or medical conditions like diabetes and anemia.
Stimulants. If necessary, a GP or specialist may prescribe a type of medicine known as a stimulant, such as modafinil, pitolisant or solriamfetol. These medicines stimulate your central nervous system, which can help keep you awake during the day. They're usually taken as tablets every morning.
Stay Awake with these Quick and Healthy Foods
Sleeping nine hours or more per night is associated with worse cognitive performance, which is even more the case for those with depression, a study led by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center (UT Health San Antonio) shows.
The 80/20 Rule means that you stick to your healthy, consistent sleep schedule 80% of the time. You then can make exceptions to your schedule 20% of the time. The 80/20 Rule allows you to “live life” and enjoy those special moments with your family.
Too much sleep — as well as not enough sleep — raises the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, anxiety and obesity in adults age 45 and older. Sleeping too much puts you at greater risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes than sleeping too little.
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.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 helps make your DNA, produce red blood cells and protect your nervous system. “Red blood cells transport oxygen through your body,” explained Dr. Shah. “So, when you don't have enough B12 to produce red blood cells, oxygen doesn't get transported to your cells, which leaves you feeling tired.”
The 40s and 50s
Both fluctuations can result in lower energy levels, feeling lethargic, and less muscle mass. Again, the 40s and 50s impact people differently, with some noticing fewer effects than others. However, during this stage, people will usually notice they're "getting old".
The foods highest in Vitamin B12 are animal products, with clams and liver (beef, lamb) being exceptionally rich sources, often providing several hundred percent of the daily value in a single serving, alongside seafood like mussels, sardines, and salmon, dairy, eggs, and fortified cereals and nutritional yeast for vegans.
Idiopathic hypersomnia is a condition that causes people to be very sleepy during the day even after a full night of sleep. People with the condition have trouble waking up from sleep. They also may wake up confused and disoriented.
Many cases of tiredness are due to stress, not enough sleep, poor diet and other lifestyle factors. Try these self-help tips to restore your energy levels. If you feel you're suffering from fatigue, which is an overwhelming tiredness that isn't relieved by rest and sleep, you may have an underlying medical condition.
Sleep disorders and sleep-related disorders of breathing, depression (18.5%), and excessive psychosocial stress are the most common causes of persistent fatigue. Previously undiagnosed cancer is a rare cause, accounting for only 0.6% of cases (95% confidence interval [0.3; 1.3]).