It is commonly known that anything that is done in excess will cause problems. That is why balance and moderation is recommended in everything. One should always strive to strike a balance in everything and sleep is one of these things. Getting less sleep per day than is recommended (8 hours) is a symptom of insomnia and is not healthy at all. On the other hand, sleeping too much is much worse than insomnia with regards to the effects on health.
The National Sleep Foundation warns against oversleeping because it can put one at risk of a high level of morbidity and mortality. It can also be an indication various illnesses, plus you cannot be productive when you are sleeping throughout the day. Read on to learn the reasons why we oversleep sometimes.
1. Substance abuse
Excessive use of psychoactive substances can cause one to feel very tired and can lead to oversleeping. There are drugs that can have a side effect that can cause you to oversleep or feel fatigued and sleepy throughout the day. If you start noticing these signs, you should talk to your doctor to help you deal with this side effect of certain medicines. Alcohol and other recreational drugs (legal or illegal) can also be abused, leading negative effects on the body. Why not try water to get your energy levels back?
2. Stress and depression
Depression and stress are two major factors that are known to lead to oversleeping. Sometimes, after a hard day of work, all you want to do is just sleep away any physical and emotional pains you may be feeling. As a result, waking up after being asleep can become a difficult chore. The impact of stress causes one to just want to sleep and not face the numerous problems and issues of life anymore.
Personal issues might also lead to this, such as not meeting certain goals that you previously set for yourself or not getting the results you were hoping to achieve. In these cases, sleep can seem to be the perfect solution to your problems. If this is the case, you need to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist for help.
3. Fatigue
There are a number of factors that can lead to fatigue, such as working too hard, being pregnant or not getting enough sleep. To maintain a good level of health, it is recommended that you get around 8 to 9 hours of sleep every night. You are not a machine, so overworking yourself is not the answer as your body eventually crash and it will take a lot of sleep to restore your body to a normal level of physical and mental health. Thus, you should not fight against sleep and allow your body to get the sleep that it deserves on a regular basis.
4. Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is another factor that cause one not to sleep properly through the night. This is a result of not being able to breathe properly while sleeping at night. It happens periodically and disrupts your sleep, causing you to feel exhausted and sleepy when you wake up in the morning as your body will demand you to make up for the lost sleep due to the sleep apnea.
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