Adequate sleep is necessary for your body and mind, but there can be times when you’re very sleepy to the point where you lose track of everything and just want to doze off any chance you get. What are the reasons for it? Do you need to visit a sleep clinic Silver Spring? Follow this guide.

Oversleeping

According to medical specialists, 8 to 10 hours of sleep is crucial for your body and well-being and if you’re not meeting this goal on a regular basis, then things can go downhill for you.

But there can be times when you just can’t seem to get a grip of your sleeping schedule and you can either under or oversleep. This is fine if it happens once every couple of months or so, but what isn’t normal is the fact that you’re sleeping a lot on a regular basis.

If you are suffering from bouts of sleeping and want to sleep every single time, then that is not normal at all and you need to go check in with your doctor about this peculiar condition because there is a high chance that you might be suffering from oversleeping.

Oversleeping is a disorder in which you are always sleepy, even if you have rested peacefully the night before. This can be quite alarming, especially if you’re someone who has a sound sleeping and resting schedule.

Any sleep that exceeds 10 hours will fall under the category of oversleeping or long sleep and it can turn your life around for the worse.

Causes Of Oversleeping

There can be many causes of oversleeping. You might be trying to make up for lost rest if you’ve been up all night and trying to make a deadline or something.

Stress or Anxiety

It can also occur if you are stressed or anxious and find it hard to sleep at certain times of the day.

Mental Health Problems

Mental health issues can also cause oversleeping and this is something that a lot of people suffer from because they can’t control their stressful minds. This causes them to either not sleep at night at all and they will find themselves sleeping throughout the day, which is very inconvenient, especially if you’re someone who has a work routine and have to show up somewhere.

Oversleeping is also very dangerous in the long run, because even though you’re sleeping for a long time, your body isn’t getting the rest it needs, so even if you wake up after a long snooze session, you will be very groggy and it will feel as if you haven’t gotten any sleep at all.

Narcolepsy And Sleep Apnea

Narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea are also the reasons why oversleeping occurs, because these disorders disrupt your actual sleeping cycle and then you have a hard time going to sleep on your usual time.

Symptoms Of Oversleeping

Now that you know what oversleeping is, here are some of its symptoms that you need to look out for:

• You will sleep for long periods. This is obvious, but it’s one of the most common symptoms of long sleep.
• Your sleep, even though it will be long, will be disrupted. You will tend to wake up within hours but will go back to sleep almost immediately.
• You will be very restless even during your sleep.
• You will feel moody and very irritable because even though you have slept for a huge chunk of time, it doesn’t mean that you’re well-rested.
• You will have a hard time focusing on things and you will suffer from brain fog, loss of concentration, and other things.
• You will also have a decreased appetite. Food will make you nauseous.
• Your body will be in a state of constant fatigue and it can be really difficult to do anything.
• The time you take naps will increase significantly and you will find yourself taking extended naps throughout the day on top of sleeping a lot.

Treatments For Oversleeping

Here are some treatments and managing techniques for oversleeping that most sleep doctors Frederick suggest:

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes are recommended if you want to naturally tire your body out for a good night’s rest. It’s recommended that you exercise at least 30 to 40 minutes a day, to wear your body out and make it tired. It will do wonders when you go ahead and hit the hay.

Medication

Medication can also help. You want to go for natural melatonin or even anti-anxiety medication because normally, oversleeping is a cause of many other related disorders and you want to tackle them first if you want to deal with oversleeping. This is why you must pinpoint the problem that you’re dealing with first and then go for a cure.

A Set Routine

Having a routine helps a lot. If you’re a homebody and you think that you’re sleeping a lot, you want to stick to a routine so that you know when it is time for certain activities and when you need to put a pause on things and take time out for the rest of the things. This will help you set a routine in the long run and it will automatically fix your sleeping schedule.

Other Causes Of Sleeping Too Much

Oversleeping is not the only issue that can cause you to sleep a lot and suddenly. There are many conditions by which you can fall asleep for longer periods. Some of them are:

Chronic Anxiety Or Depression

If you suffer from anxiety or depression, then one of the things that can occur a lot is sleep. You feel down all the time, and all you want to do is lay in bed and sleep all day. If this continues for a long time, then you will not be able to sleep fully without doing so for a long time and this can mess up your natural circadian rhythm.

Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia is also the main reason why people sleep a lot. It can occur in any and everyone and if the problem persists, then you should see a doctor and get to the bottom of the problem before things get out of hand.

Intensive Work Or Activities

If you’re someone who does intense activity and wears your body down a lot, then you will find yourself sleeping a lot. This is really inconvenient and you need to keep your activity levels in check because too much of anything, even activity, can throw your perfectly healthy body off-kilter and that is not what you want.

Frequent Time Zone Changes

If you work in a different time zone then that can also lead to a lot of sleeping issues. This is bad because your body isn’t great at getting used to the new routine and you will become fatigued very easily. This is why you will feel like sleeping a lot and that is not good for your body at all.

Bad Diet

A bad diet can also lead to oversleeping. Eating processed food, refined sugar and carbs will make you tired very easily.

Conclusion

Oversleeping can have a lot of causes so you should see a sleep specialist Bethesda who can perform a checkup and tests for an accurate diagnosis.