Every person has their own sleep needs, but a range of 7 to 9 hours is considered healthy. However, if a person is continuously sleeping for more than 9 hours every night, it can lead to some health issues, and chronic pain is one of them. So, what happens to your body when you sleep too much for a long period? It can increase inflammation in the body, the risk of obesity, mental health issues, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and even stroke.
What Does Sleepiness Mean?
Sleeping for more than 9 hours for a few nights is perfectly fine. However, if you are consistently sleeping more than 9 hours in 24 hours, it can be a sign of some hidden causes. Sometimes, it shows that a person has some health or mental issues. You may be dealing with excessive sleepiness if:
- It is hard for you to wake up in the morning.
- You feel tired or sleepy most of the day.
- Taking naps doesn’t help you feel refreshed.
- You feel asleep at times when you need to stay awake, like during classes or while driving.
Other than these problems, you also notice trouble focusing, thinking clearly, or remembering things. Sometimes you feel stressed, anxious, or irritable. Around 1 in 5 adults experience sleepiness serious enough to affect their daily life.
Not getting enough sleep is the common reason people feel overly sleepy during the day. Sometimes it happens simply because they stay up too late by choice. Working night shifts and sleeping during the day can also affect your sleep quality.
Check out How to Improve Your Sleep and Wake Up Feeling Refreshed?
Depression and Excessive Sleep
Sleep problems and depression are closely related. Most people with depression struggle with sleeping too much or sleeping too little.
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Sleep problems can seriously affect your daily life, mood, and overall well-being. They are also connected to a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and relapse after treatment. Researchers have found that depression can change normal sleep patterns and disrupt how your brain regulates sleep. Even if depression treatment improves your mood, sleep problems continue to get worse.
Studies also show that people with regular insomniacan have a higher risk of developing depression later in life. That’s why treating sleep problems is considered an important part of managing depression and reducing the chances of symptoms from returning.
Feeling Exhausted All the Time Even After Sleeping Well? Know Why.
Dementia and Changes in Sleep Patterns
People with dementia usually feel very sleepy during the day because their sleep at night gets interrupted frequently. They take various short naps throughout the day to make up for lost sleep. There are various sleep-related conditions that are also common in people with dementia.
The most common is sleep apnea, a condition where breathing repeatedly slows down or stops during sleep because the airway becomes blocked. Sleep apnea is especially common in older adults living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities. Some of the risk factors include older age, sleeping flat on the back, and being overweight.
Another common problem is periodic limb movements during sleep. These are caused by repeated leg or body movements that disturb your sleep and reduce overall sleep time. Pain can also make sleep worse in older adults with memory or thinking problems. Poor sleep is usually linked with lower quality of life, more depressive symptoms, and increased daytime tiredness.
Some of the environmental factors can also affect sleep in people with dementia. Those include insufficient daylight or sunlight, loud noise at night, and limited exposure to bright light during the day.
Burnout and Emotional Exhaustion
Burnout is very common among healthcare workers, and poor sleep is believed to be the major cause. The condition is a state of ongoing mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion that is caused by long-term stress at work. Some of the common signs include becoming less motivated or disconnected from work, feeling less productive, or feeling emotionally drained. Healthcare workers usually face:
- High stress
- Long hours and nights shifts
- Heavy workloads
- Emotional pressure from patient care
- Lack of rest and recovery time.
These conditions can disturb normal sleep patterns and increase the risk of burnout. Good sleep health includes getting enough hours of sleep, feeling rested after sleep, keeping a regular sleep schedule, sleeping efficiently without interruptions, and staying alert during the day. The study also found that poor sleep, anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms can happen together, especially during intense work pressure periods.
Talk to our Experts.
Sleeping more than usual does not automatically mean it is affecting your health. But it also means you can ignore the condition once it becomes a pattern. Changes in sleep are the earliest signs that your body and mind need attention. You need to pay early attention so you can take a thoughtful intervention rather than a crisis response.
If you or someone you care about is sleeping most of the day and struggling to return to a normal routine, reach out to our expert therapists to take a step towards clarity and balance.