Sleeping For A Very Long Time
Healthy, restful sleep is essential for the body to revitalize itself after the stress and demanding situations that it has to endure while we are awake.
Sleep cycles and sleeping patterns affect a person’s ability to work normally and stay focused.
The sleep requirement of a person depends on various factors like age, health and quality of sleep. Children and teens normally need up to ten hours of sleep daily.
Despite the belief that adults require less sleep as they age, they still need to sleep from seven to eight hours daily. If the daily sleep pattern spills over by an hour or two regularly, it is called long sleeping.
People who are long sleepers require the extra hours of sleep to feel refreshed and rested in the morning.
If they sleep for lesser time than that, even if the duration is as normally required by people in their age group, they would feel tired and drowsy. This extended sleep pattern for a normal long sleeper often starts from childhood and is not triggered by any sudden physical or emotional changes. They are used to regularly sleeping an hour or two more than normal.
However, long sleeping patterns can also point to serious conditions like depression. For this reason, analyzing the underlying cause for requiring more sleep is essential to rule out possibilities of a serious medical condition.
Studies reveal that a number of factors can contribute to long sleeping patterns, the prominent ones being alcohol or substance abuse, personal traits, depression and emotionally challenging conditions, and other sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
If the long sleeping pattern does not signify any underlying cause, and the individual sleeps normally during the night, no treatment is required.
However, if the reasons for long sleeping are identified to be indicative of a serious condition, it is essential to seek treatment for the real issue, which may also resolve the long sleep problem.
The problem faced by most long sleepers is the inability to balance their daily routines and schedules in accordance with their sleep requirements. This could result in inefficiency in handling demands of family and workplace, feeling exhausted and irritated during the day, lack of concentration etc.
When a long sleeper tries to manage his daily schedules, he may end up compromising on his sleep needs and face difficulties arising from sleep deprivation. It is essential for a long sleeper to identify how much sleep he actually needs. Based on this, he can find out the best ways to manage his schedules and sleep.
Some ways of getting more sleep without disrupting activities are:
- Going to bed earlier than usual by at least 15 minutes or so every night will help you feel more rested the next day.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and medications that may cause sleep disruption.
- Taking 30 to 60 minute daytime nap would help in adjusting the extra sleep needs.
However, if you suspect other serious physical or emotional situations behind the requirement of more sleep, consult a sleep specialist to identify the causes and treat them.