Why Do I Sleep So Much?

Do you have trouble waking in the morning?

Do you often feel sleepy during your waking hours?

Do you feel anxious or do you experience irritability?

Do you experience a loss of appetite?

Do you experience memory troubles or trouble with thinking?

Do you feel like naps don’t help to make you feel better or more awake?

Based on your answers, it is very unlikely that you have a problem with sleeping too much. Oversleeping, also called hypersomnia, may require someone to sleep 10 to 12 hours per night to feel good. If you are spending your nights studying because it’s exam time or because you are close to missing an important deadline, then it’s completely normal to become very tired and sleep some hours extra. But if you are frequently sleeping for long periods, it can be a serious problem.

While it may be unlikely that you have a significant problem with oversleeping, you may be displaying one or more signs related to sleeping too much. Jobs and other responsibilities make it impossible for someone to sleep excessively, and that may cause long sleepers to feel extremely tired during the day. During off days, they may feel the need to catch up by sleeping sometimes 15 hours at a time. If you have a problem to stay awake when you need to, it can also be caused by an underlying condition. Common causes of sleepiness are sleep apnea, depression, narcolepsy and restless legs syndrome. It may be useful to talk to your doctor if your symptoms cause severe impairment.

Unfortunately, you are displaying several symptoms typically seen among individuals who sleep too much. It may be important to plan a medical visit, especially in case your symptoms last more than six weeks. If your oversleeping is caused by a mental health condition, such as sleep apnea, depression or narcolepsy, treatment of that condition will be required to start sleeping normally again. Besides, your doctor may recommend you to make some lifestyle changes. You may find it helpful to make a sleep schedule to create a rhythm. Besides, it may be important to create a comfortable sleep environment, without distractions (such as phones or a TV). Avoid caffeine and alcohol and exercise regularly.