Suddenly needing more sleep often stems from recent sleep debt, stress, or lifestyle changes, but can signal underlying issues like depression, sleep apnea, or medication side effects, requiring attention to sleep hygiene, stress management, and potentially a doctor's visit to rule out conditions like thyroid problems or hypersomnia.
Experts agree that between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night is a healthy range for adults, although it differs from person to person. If you're sleeping more than 9 hours but that's normal for you — and it's not causing any problems in your day-to-day life — there may be no underlying issue.
The most common causes of excessive sleepiness are sleep deprivation and disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia. Depression and other mental health conditions, certain medications, and medical conditions affecting the brain and body can cause daytime drowsiness as well.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to control sleep-wake cycles. People with narcolepsy may feel rested after waking but then feel very sleepy throughout much of the day.
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.
Many conditions can make you tired during the day regardless of how well you slept at night. Examples are very low blood pressure (especially after eating), low thyroid activity, vitamin D or B12 deficiency, anemia, low blood sugar, depression, narcolepsy (sudden episodes of deep sleep), and even obesity.
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 rarest major sleeping position is often cited as the Starfish (on your back with arms up), with only about 5-7% of people sleeping that way, but stomach sleeping (prone position) is also very uncommon, with less than 10% of adults preferring it, making it a strong contender for rarest, though sometimes considered a major type, not just a variation. More niche or minor variations, like specific fetal or "T-Rex arms" (bent wrists), might be rarer still, but data focuses on broad categories.
B Complex Vitamins
Especially since taking one before bed can keep you awake. There are eight B vitamins in all, which also go by the names of thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12).
Spending excessive time in bed may be a sign of an underlying medical condition, such as depression. Depression is a mood disorder that has many symptoms, including decreased interest in activities or other people, weight changes, trouble sleeping, and fatigue.
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.
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.
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.
Signs of poor core sleep (deep, restorative sleep) include waking up foggy, daytime fatigue/energy crashes, poor concentration, irritability, frequent illness, memory issues, and mood swings, indicating your brain and body aren't fully repairing and consolidating memories. You might also experience increased sugar cravings, slow muscle recovery, and a weakened immune system.
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.
Certain vitamins, including B12, can affect people who have fatigue and a lack of energy. If you feel constantly tired and your levels of B12 are low, bringing them up to normal may give you more energy, studies show. But B12 supplements don't seem to have any effect on people already at normal levels.
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".
Symptoms of common sleep disorders include:
The 2-3-4 nap rule is a popular baby sleep guideline for babies around 6 months and older, suggesting wake windows: 2 hours after waking until the first nap, 3 hours between the first and second nap, and 4 hours after the second nap until bedtime, creating a predictable 2-nap day for better rest. It helps structure a baby's day with longer awake times, aiding the transition to fewer naps, but it's a flexible framework, not a strict rule, as every baby's sleep needs vary.
Sleep deprivation is probably the most common cause of excessive daytime sleepiness. Symptoms can occur in healthy persons after even mild sleep restriction.
The ideal nap length is either a short power nap (20-minute nap) or up to 90 minutes. A two-hour nap may leave you feeling groggy and hamper your normal sleep cycle. Generally, you want to nap for less than an hour and take it earlier in the day (such as before 2 or 3 p.m.).