Excessive Sleeping: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Last Updated on January 21, 2023

The news is all over the place with this one – do people sleep too much or not enough? Some say that if you sleep less than 8 hours or more than 10 hours every day, then you’re messing with your body’s natural balance and going against what your DNA says. Others say that humans can’t live without sleeping and that we should stop obsessing about it altogether.

This article will provide information on why excessive sleeping occurs, its symptoms, and what treatments you could use to combat it.

What Is Excessive Daytime Sleepiness?

Daytime sleepiness is so-called because most people who suffer from this disorder show signs of sleepiness during the day. The condition is also called ‘somnolence’ or ‘sleepiness’ because its symptoms are related to the inability to stay awake.

In some cases, idiopathic hypersomnia can be described as a very specific sleeping disorder that affects people who have difficulty falling asleep and then can’t stay awake long enough before taking a nap. 

What Are The Symptoms and Consequences?

When someone is sleeping for unusually long periods, they can experience a plethora of changes throughout their life and physical health. To help you see why excessive daytime sleepiness is bad for you, let’s take a look at the signs, symptoms and consequences of too much sleep.

Mood changes

An inability to stay awake throughout the day can lead to low moods and increased depression.

Lack of energy

It may seem strange to associate excessive sleeping with a lack of energy. However, a lack of restful sleep can actually cause serious energy problems because it can lead to disruptions in hormones and neurotransmitters in the body.

Physical changes

This is another sign that your body isn’t getting quality sleep. You may have visible signs such as unusual weight gain and obesity.

Problems with your immune system

The immune system needs rest in order to work effectively, so if you’re constantly fighting off illnesses, this could be a sign that you need to fix your sleeping habits.

Delayed responsiveness

Excessive sleepiness can lead to difficulty maintaining adequate performance while driving or in other activities requiring attention, like using machinery at work. This could also result in injury to oneself, other people and property due to negligence or risky behaviour caused by sleepiness while operating equipment or vehicles; it could even lead to death in some cases.

Catching up on missed naps

Some people who are experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness will stay up later at night or take naps during the day to compensate for their missed rest. This isn’t good for you because it means that your body is getting an unnecessary amount of sleep, even though it’s not enough to keep you awake without taking extra breaks.

Daytime naps that grow longer

Daytime naps can be very good for you, especially if they’re only 10-20 minutes long and allow you to get back to your regular schedule without resting longer than necessary. However, if you find that you can’t wake up after taking a nap in the afternoon, consider setting an alarm so that it doesn’t get too late in the day.

You should also try to cut down on naps or eliminate them completely to stop your excessive sleeping behaviour. This is because napping in the afternoon will make it more likely that you’ll be less tired during bedtime

Late night sleepiness

If an individual isn’t getting enough rest during the day, these sleeping disorders can show themselves at night. They’ll find it impossible to fall asleep before 2AM because their body becomes very tired during the evening hours. When they finally fall asleep, they’ll find it difficult to wake up in the morning because their body has a very late sleep cycle.

Difficulty waking up in the morning

This is a very common effect that occurs when people suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness. They will have a hard time staying awake during the day and then have trouble getting up in the morning. In some cases, they may even oversleep and be late for work or school consistently.

Confusion, memory problems and disorientation

If an individual suffers from too little sleep for a long time, they are at risk of brain damage. If they cannot get any work done during the day, they’ll start to get confused and disoriented. Not only is your memory affected by insufficient sleep, but so are your cognitive abilities.

Headaches and trouble concentrating

When people are suffering from extreme sleepiness all of the time, they will have trouble keeping their thoughts clear and a decreasing ability to pay attention or remain focused on one thing for a prolonged period. They may also develop headaches because their bodies are dehydrated or starved for oxygen.

Feeling tired all of the time without any relief

Some cases of sleep apnea and other sleep disorders will disrupt a person’s circadian rhythm and cause them to feel tired all day. They may feel like they’re struggling to get enough rest at night and wake up with a headache in the morning.

Causes Of Excessive Sleepiness

Excessive daytime sleepiness is caused by extreme exhaustion during the day. It usually affects people who have abnormal sleep patterns and then crash. A person’s sleep can also be disrupted because of stress, anxiety, depression, lack of exercise and dieting or poor sleeping conditions. However, the most common reasons why an individual can suffer from a sleep disorder such as excessive sleepiness include the following:

• Changes in the amount and quality of daytime naps
• A change in an individual’s sleep schedule or environment
• Dieting, poor nutrition and alcohol consumption
• Environmental factors, such as noise disturbance or bright light
• Stress or anxiety during the day
• Lack of exercise, which is the cause of most diseases
• Exposure to bright light during the day can disrupt an individual’s circadian rhythm
• An uncomfortable mattress that could be causing fragmented sleep
• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can disrupt sleep at night and lead to excessive sleepiness
• A bed partner that moves around too much and wakes you from a deep sleep
• Shift workers who have confused their circadian rhythm
• An underlying health condition such as diabetes
• Medical conditions such as low thyroid function or chronic pain from sciatica

These causes may influence excessive daytime sleepiness negatively if they are not considered. With this in mind, it is important to treat hypersomnia as quickly as possible to resolve your problems as fast as possible. The sooner you begin treatment, the more effective it will be. If you are having trouble sleeping, you should speak to a specialist who can help you make some changes to overcome your problem.

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Treatment

If you are suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness, there are certain steps that you can take to help remedy this issue. When you start sleeping better, you will notice that your circadian rhythm disorders have disappeared almost completely. This is because poor sleep patterns can be reversed by getting plenty of rest during the day and sleeping better at night. The following list will outline the most common treatment options for excessive daytime sleepiness.

• Change your sleep habits by setting a bedtime routine/schedule
• Review your lifestyle habits if it involves too much alcohol or drugs
• Stop drinking caffeine and alcohol before going to sleep
• Don’t smoke before going to sleep
• Try not to work or do strenuous activities near or around your bedtime, as this may make it more difficult to fall asleep
• Try to reduce stress and anxiety during the day so you can sleep better at night
• Avoid stressful situations during the day
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Exercise regularly
• Try using a new mattress or pillow
• Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning

The Final Word

We all need to get the right amount of sleep for our bodies in order to function properly, and if we don’t get enough, it can cause serious problems with our health and productivity. When you don’t get enough sleep during the night, your body can become extremely tired during the day. This is why people with sleeping disorders experience a decrease in their cognitive abilities and a disruption of their daily routines.

The best thing that you can do for your health is to keep a regular sleep schedule and maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes diet and exercise. If you find that you’re still struggling with sleepiness even after making these changes, you might need to speak with a doctor who can help figure out what’s going on.