Causes and solutions for oversleeping

The same way that getting very little sleep is bad for your health, too much sleep is equally unhealthy. Sleep needs vary between individuals and the quality of sleep could be affected by age, pregnancy or simply the lack of enough sleep.

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Hypersomnia occurs when a person oversleeps and, particularly, experiences Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS). People with hypersomnia have had it since childhood and they would typically need 10 to 12 hours of sleep to function optimally.

Undiagnosed people in self-quarantine may experience some symptoms of the condition such as irritability, anxiety, restlessness and low energy. For this reason, it is important to get a healthy amount of sleep.

Below are some remedies for excessive sleeping. 

Having to abruptly transition from a structured schedule inside and/or outside your home, to carrying out all your day-to-day activities indoors can throw you off. When you were used to living life a certain way and then suddenly shifting from that, your sleep can be thrown off balance.

Whether you’re having to work from home, do online classes or help your children with their school work, having some structure will give you a better sleep schedule. Allocate adequate time for each activity, including rest. This way, you won’t get too little or too much sleep.

• Get the right amount of sleep

As mentioned above, individuals who are diagnosed with hypersomnia need 10 to 12 hours of sleep to feel their complete best. According to the National Sleep Foundation, this is around the same amount of sleep recommended for three to five-year-olds.

These pre-schoolers need 10 to 13 hours of sleep whereas adults aged between 18 and 64 need 7 to 9 hours of good rest.  Aim to get the right amount of sleep as oversleeping can lead to heart disease, headaches, diabetes, obesity, back pain and depression.

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Many people probably want to take the free time they currently have to catch up on sleep and that’s totally fine. However, this can lead to oversleeping and into a downward spiral of various health conditions.

Try to condition your body to sleep and wake up at the same time daily. This way, your body will adjust to your schedule and expect sleep during the time that you choose to fall asleep every day.