A perfect night sleep is a secret for maintaining good health. However, there are many people visiting their physicians either for lack of sleep or for too much slumber. Although majority of them visit their doctors to take treatment for insomnia, there are at least 20 percent who consult as they struggle to stay awake.
While it is important for a person to sleep for 7 to 8 hours, oversleeping can be detrimental to health. Too much sleepiness can affect a person’s daily activities at home as well as at work place.
They exhibit all signs as if they have not slept at night such as frequent yawning, frequent nodding during work, or snoozing while attending a function. While it is another thing if you oversleep once in a while, but regular excessive sleep can result in several issues such as loss of appetite, mental irritation and anxiety, memory lapse, obesity, etc.
What Causes A Person To Sleep Too Much?
Too much of sleepiness can stem due to many health conditions and several other factors.
- It may occur due to a person’s choice. People who work at night may have excessive sleep during the day.
- Medications: There are several different groups of medications which cause excessive sleepiness. Benzodiazepines opiate, anti Parkinson drugs, anti epileptic drugs are few of the prescription medicines which cause excessive sleepiness.
- Sleep apnea: It is a sleep disorder in which there is momentary stoppage of breathing while a person is sleeping at night. Interrupted breathing affects normal sleep cycle. As a result these patient feels sleepy while waking in morning, falls asleep during daytime at work or at home.
- Alcohol: Excessive intake of alcohol causes too much sleep.
- Depression: It is one of the causes for too much of slumber. A person who feels sad and anxious all the time often feels sleepy all the time.
- Restless leg syndrome: It is extremely distressing condition occurring during sleep. Patient experiences tingling and creeping sensation in legs which causes an urge to move his legs constantly. Due to this condition his night sleep is disturbed. As a result he feels excessively sleepy during daytime.
- Sleeping sickness: It is a protozoal infection caused by bite of certain flies called testse flies. This disease is usually prevalent in certain parts of Africa. Too much of sleep and drowsiness is one its symptom. The other symptoms include fever, headache, change in mood, swelling in lymph nodes, weakness, etc. The condition is fatal without treatment.
Treatment Options For Excessive Sleepiness
It is necessary to consult your doctor if you feel you are sleeping too much all the time. Usually sleeping for 11 hours and more may be considered to be not normal, especially when you may also feel sleepy during daytime.
- Oversleeping from living unhealthy lifestyle such as drinking excessive alcohol can be eliminated by reducing or stopping its consumption.
- Fix your sleep and wake cycle. Resetting your sleeping pattern at night helps you to restrict daytime sleepiness. Sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time daily. In beginning it may be difficult to follow but over a period of time, your body will adjust the timing.
- Reduce the hours you are sleeping. For example if you are sleeping for 10 hours, gradually make it a habit of waking up early. You can take help of alarm clock.
- Avoid working overtime at night. Manage your stress level by participating in several leisurely activities.
- Take a nap during daytime if possible.
- Go out in sun for at least 15 to 20 minutes in a day. It helps to regularize the body clock.
- Exercise regularly in morning after getting up. Exercise increases amount of feel good hormone circulation in the body and lifts up your spirit.
- For diseases such as restless leg syndrome and sleeping sickness consult your doctor.
- Talk to your doctor if you are taking sedatives and tranquilizer medicines. Reducing the dose helps to keep off excess of sleep.