SLEEPING TOO MUCH? THE SURPRISING SIDE EFFECTS OF OVERSLEEPING

There is a consensus that everyone needs about eight hours of sleep within 24 hours. But sleep time is very subjective. An individual may be energetic with five hours of good sleep while another may be moody and irritated all day with ten hours of sleep behind them. Sleeping for more time than the body needs may not be healthy after all.

Read on to find out more about multiple factors and causes of sleeping too much and the side effects of oversleeping.

Physiology of sleep

For many bodily functions including cognitive and psychological skills, sleeping well plays a crucial role. People who are chronic short sleepers (< 6 hours) are at greater risk of diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and heart ailments. The body’s immunity is greatly disturbed due to acute sleep deprivation.

The sleep cycle consists of five stages: Wake, N1, N2, N3, and REM (Rapid Eye Movement).

Stages N1 to N3 are called the NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) phase, with each stage leading to progressively deeper sleep. They make up about 75% of the sleep cycle, with a typical night’s sleep consisting of 4-5 sleep cycles. 

The REM stage is short at the start of the sleep cycle and becomes longer as the night progresses. It is associated with dreaming, irregular breathing, and more importantly, increased brain metabolism. REM stage is therefore not considered restful sleep.

In effect, it is not just the hours of sleep that are important, but also from which sleep cycle a person wakes up. It’s been observed that it’s quite easy to wake up from stages one and two. REM is quite difficult but stages three and four are the hardest to wake up from.

So when a person sleeps for an extra hour or two, they may wake up from either the REM cycle or stages three or four. This explains the groggy feeling after sleeping too much.

Side effects of oversleeping

When oversleeping is defined as sleeping regularly for more than nine hours in a 24-hour cycle, it can have quite a few important side effects:

• Obesity- Oversleeping can disrupt a person’s hunger and satiety signals, resulting in binge eating and weight gain.
• Diabetes- The body’s insulin production and glucose metabolism are disturbed, causing type 2 diabetes.
• Depression- Oversleeping has been frequently linked to depression. Oversleeping is often a symptom of depression when a person wakes up late in the morning with a feeling of having missed out on the day. It is also connected to sleep apnea where a person tries to compensate for a disturbed sleep by oversleeping.
• Heart disease- Sleeping too much can disturb the body’s rhythms, leading to inflammatory conditions because of a poor immune response.
• Headache and stroke- Tension headaches are quite common when the natural sleep-wake cycle is disturbed. Such changes can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of stroke.
• Cognitive disruption- Oversleeping can seriously impair cognitive functions like rational decision-making, memory problems, and maintaining attention.

When all these side effects become obvious, there is always an increased risk of mortality.

Causes of oversleeping

There are a few major conditions that could lead to a feeling of lethargy even after the recommended eight hours of sleep:

• Sleep apnea - It is a condition where breathing stops and starts multiple times during sleep. Sleep apnea could be a result of obstruction to the upper airway or it could arise because of an underlying medical condition where the brain fails to send the right signals to continue breathing.
• Restless legs syndrome - It can be described as an overwhelming urge to move the legs at rest.
• Chronic pain
• Habits like bruxism (clenching or grinding of teeth during sleep)
• Narcolepsy - A disorder in which the body’s sleep-wake cycles are disturbed. It is characterized by excessive sleepiness during the daytime with an overpowering urge to sleep. 
• Idiopathic hypersomnia - A condition of oversleeping with no apparent cause.

Summary

Significant research has been done to make a definite connection between oversleeping and lethargy. The key takeaway is that a greater than a normal deviation from a regular sleep pattern can play havoc with the body’s rhythms. The ideal solution is for each individual to figure out how much sleep is right for them. They should then make it a routine and stick to this sleep time, irrespective of whether it’s a weeknight, weekend, or vacation.

Wellness Forever has a wide range of solutions to ensure sound sleep for you and your loved ones. Whether it is sleep tablets that you are looking for, or it is something you want for your spouse’s snoring, you can explore their entire category.