When we think of sleep issues, we usually imagine someone who isn’t getting enough quality sleep. However, regularly sleeping for too long can be just as harmful to your mental and physical health. This list reveals 18 signs you may be getting too much sleep.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
If you notice that you’re feeling strangely sleepy during the day despite getting a lot of sleep, you may be sleeping too much. This is often seen alongside issues such as frequently nodding off, difficulty concentrating and remaining focused, and potentially having a higher risk of accidents or mistakes.
Difficulty Waking Up in the Morning
Do you struggle to wake up and get out of bed even though you slept for many hours? If so, it’s possible you’re sleeping for too long. You may feel excessively groggy, disoriented, or lethargic, and in some cases, this feeling can persist throughout the day, making daily tasks difficult.
Hormonal Imbalances
As noted by the Sleep Foundation, abnormalities in your sleep can cause hormonal imbalances, including disruptions in your body’s production of cortisol, melatonin, and growth hormones. This can cause you to feel more lethargic and emotionally unstable and increase your risk of weight gain, disorders, and diseases.
Long Naps During the Day
Taking a power nap every now and then can be a normal and healthy thing to do. However, if you’re frequently taking long naps lasting over an hour, especially if you’re sleeping for a long time at night, this could be a sign that you’re sleeping too much.
Feeling Unrefreshed After Sleep
You should feel refreshed, alert, and awake after a long night of interrupted sleep. So if you wake up feeling groggy and unrefreshed, this is often a sign something is amiss. Perhaps you slept for over eight hours, but you still feel like you need more sleep and experience low motivation and fatigue throughout the day.
Increased Risk of Chronic Health Conditions
Sleeping for too long can both be caused by and increase the risk of chronic health conditions. If you struggle with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, or other issues, it’s more likely that you’re sleeping too much. If this sounds like you, it’s a good idea to consult with your doctor to ensure you’re doing everything you can to stay as healthy as possible.
Changes in Mood and Behavior
Sleeping for too long can actually affect your mood and behavior in a similar way that sleeping too little does. You may notice yourself being more irritable, depressed, or experiencing more mood swings than usual. Sleeping too much can also cause you to feel unmotivated and emotionally unstable, and it can make you feel more or less hungry than usual.
Impaired Cognitive Function
If you’ve been sleeping for too long, you may experience impaired cognitive functioning. This can look like difficulty concentrating, problem-solving, remembering things, or finding the right words to use. You may also feel more mentally foggy or sluggish.
Changes in Appetite and Weight
As mentioned earlier, sleeping too much can affect your appetite. You may feel hungrier than usual or crave unhealthy food, which can lead to weight gain. According to the National Library of Medicine, this occurs because too much sleep can disrupt hormones that regulate your hunger. On the other hand, it’s also possible to lose your appetite and experience unwanted weight loss.
Social Withdrawal
Because sleeping too much can affect your mood, behaviors, and mental clarity, it can also impede your social interactions and relationships. You may feel too groggy, unmotivated, or depressed to get outside and meet people, which can have a negative impact on your relationships over time.
Decreased Physical Activity
Decreased physical activity is another common symptom of sleeping too much. This largely happens because sleeping for too long can make you feel more lethargic, sleepy, and unmotivated than usual, making the prospect of exercise less appealing. Ironically, exercising regularly is one important factor in getting normal, good-quality sleep.
Decreased Productivity
People who sleep too much often see a decline in their productivity at work, school, or other areas of their lives. Again, this is because too much sleep can impede your cognitive function, problem-solving abilities, and motivation. This can become a serious problem when it affects your ability to get good grades or meet important deadlines or goals.
Disrupted Sleep-Wake Cycle
If you frequently wake up in the night or struggle to maintain a sleep schedule, this can increase your risk of sleeping too much or be a sign that you’re already getting too much sleep. To help solve this problem, it’s a good idea to go to sleep at roughly the same time every night and ensure you get at least 7–8 hours of sleep.
Increased Risk of Mental Health Disorders
According to the Sleep Foundation, people who sleep too much are more likely to struggle with mental health disorders such as depression. So if you’re experiencing any symptoms of mental illness, it’s a good idea to speak to a therapist or doctor to get support and see what your best options are.
Impaired Immune Function
Sleeping too much can put you at a higher risk of impaired immune functioning. This can make you more susceptible to illness and infections. So if you’re regularly getting colds, cases of flu, or other diseases, this could be a sign of too much sleep.
Increased Risk of Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease
Sadly, oversleeping is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. This is partly because too much sleep can disrupt cardiovascular function and increase inflammation. If you’ve noticed any symptoms of cardiovascular disease or other serious health problems, it’s a good idea to pay a visit to your doctor.
Increased Risk of Diabetes
People who sleep too much are at a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes. This is partly because too much sleep can disrupt your glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. If you’ve noticed any early symptoms of diabetes, you should talk to your doctor as soon as possible.
Increased Risk of Mortality
Unfortunately, like getting too little sleep, too much sleep is associated with a higher risk of mortality. If you’re experiencing an increase in health problems and an overall poorer sense of well-being, this could be a sign that you’re sleeping too much. Consider talking to a doctor or sleep specialist if you’re struggling with any of the issues described above.
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