Prolonged sleep

What is important to know

Sleep needs vary from person to person and may change temporarily. Therefore, not only the duration of sleep is important, but also the change compared to the usual schedule.

With some depression, a person may sleep longer than usual, have difficulty waking up, and want to stay in bed even after sleeping for a long time.

However, prolonged sleep can be associated with other reasons: chronic sleep deprivation, sleep quality problems, certain sleep disorders, physical illness, medications or substance use.

It is also important to distinguish prolonged sleep from excessive sleepiness. With prolonged sleep, first of all, the total sleep time increases. If you feel excessively sleepy, you may find it difficult to stay awake and may fall asleep unintentionally during the day. These conditions can be combined.

How too much sleep can manifest itself

A person may notice:

began to sleep much longer than before;

difficulty waking up at the scheduled time;

after waking up you want to go back to sleep;

awakening is accompanied by severe lethargy or a feeling of “fog”;

even a long sleep does not bring a feeling of recovery;

on weekends, sleep becomes much longer;

there is a need to sleep extra during the day;

Sleep makes it more difficult to keep up with your work or school schedule;

More and more time is spent in bed, including without sleep.

Possible reasons

Increased sleep duration may be due to:

accumulated lack of sleep;

period of recovery after illness or intense exercise;

depressive states;

some sleep disorders and hypersomnias;

poor quality of night sleep, including sleep-disordered breathing;

chronic stress or exhaustion;

some somatic and neurological diseases;

taking medications with a sedative effect;

use of alcohol or other substances;

changing the usual sleep and wakefulness patterns.

This list is not intended for self-diagnosis.

What to pay attention to

When your sleep duration increased and how different it was from your usual routine.

How much time do you actually sleep and how long do you spend in bed?

Do you feel recovered after a long sleep?

How difficult it is to wake up in the morning.

Do you experience significant sleepiness during the day?

Do you have loud snoring, shortness of breath, or frequent awakenings at night?

Is there a depressed mood, loss of interest, apathy or a feeling of hopelessness?

Have your energy levels, appetite, weight, or concentration changed?

Whether the change began after illness, severe stress, or a long period of sleep deprivation.

Did it coincide with the start of a new medication or a change in its dosage.

Whether alcohol, sedatives or other substances are used.

How much sleep affects work, school, relationships and daily activities.

What can help

Over a period of time, track your bedtime, wake-up time, daytime naps, and how you feel after sleep. This helps to understand whether the need for sleep has actually increased and how much the condition is related to the quality of night's rest.

It is worth maintaining a relatively stable wake-up time and avoiding significant fluctuations between weekdays and weekends.

If prolonged sleep is associated with recovery from sleep deprivation or illness, the need for it may gradually decrease.

If a person regularly sleeps for a long time, but still feels exhausted or sleepy, you should not try to solve the problem only by further increasing sleep time - it is important to find out its cause.

When to ask for help

Contact your doctor if your sleep duration increases noticeably for no apparent reason, the condition persists for several weeks, the person has difficulty waking up, or sleep begins to significantly interfere with daily life.

Consultation is especially important if prolonged sleep is accompanied by severe daytime sleepiness, loud snoring, pauses in breathing, sudden episodes of falling asleep, or other unusual sleep symptoms.

If increased sleep is combined with a persistent decrease in mood, loss of interest, apathy, or feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, you may also want to see a mental health professional.