Why Do I Sleep So Much: 13 Serious Conditions That Cause Excessive Sleepiness
At some points of the day, you might experience your eyelids getting heavy, a sense of exhaustion taking over your body accompanied by repeated yawning. It might not happen every day but on the days that you have not had proper rest at night, you might feel yourself struggling with excessive sleepiness the next day. You might also feel that sometimes no matter how much you sleep, this sense of drowsiness just won’t go. It is normal for you to ask, why do I sleep so much, in such a scenario.
If you are sleeping too much, or you cannot focus on your tasks because you feel sleepy all the time, you first need to figure out what is causing it in the first place. Let us find out what is excessive sleepiness and the reasons that are behind it.
What Is Excessive Sleepiness?
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Excessive sleepiness or excessive day time sleepiness refers to an enhanced sleep propensity that results due to sleep deprivation. When your body is not well-rested, it tends to fall asleep. Keep in mind that excessive sleepiness is not a health condition or a disorder. It is a symptom or sign that can result from various causes. Sleep deprivation is only one of the cause. Excessive daytime sleepiness may feel like always entering into a drowsy state of being. You might feel yourself wanting to sleep at a time when you should be alert and active. If you are someone who is dealing with it and are wondering why am I sleeping so much all of a sudden, then here are all the reasons that may be causing you to experience excessive sleepiness.
Why Do I Sleep So Much – Causes
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1. Insomnia
One of the most common and serious sleep disorders is insomnia. It is a condition in which you are not able to fall asleep, consequently, you are not able to give your body adequate rest, and it always remains sleep deprived. When your body is not getting sufficient rest, you will feel tired all the time. You might also feel sleepy but when you actually go to bed, sleep simply eludes you.
2. Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is also one of the serious sleep disorders which causes your breathing to pause intermittently during the night. A person suffering from sleep apnea gets fragmented sleep as a result of which they have to deal with excessive daytime sleepiness.
3. Fibromyalgia
It is a very painful condition in which the muscles and joints of a person are constantly under pain. Their brain becomes very sensitive to pain. It does not let them sleep properly at night and they experience constant fatigue during the day.
4. Herniated disk
When the intervertebral disc in your back develops a tear, it can cause you to feel intense lower back pain. The pain radiates and spreads to the back and legs. This condition significantly interferes with quality sleep at night and can cause you to experience excessive sleepiness the next day. You might wonder why do I sleep so much. It is because of the absence of rest that makes your body tired.
5. Arthritis
Arthritis or inflammation of the joints is a serious condition that only gets worse as one age. It causes terrible pain in the affected joints especially at night and makes it very difficult for people to fall asleep. Patients may feel drowsy or tired the next day. Eventually, the pain induced tiredness and fatigue may get so severe that they may ask a question like is it okay to sleep 12 hours a day?
6. Medications
Another event in which you may find yourself asking the question, why do I sleep so much is when you are under lots of prescription medication. You may be unaware of this fact, but these medications act as sedatives and make you feel disoriented and drowsy throughout the day.
7. Depression
Depression is one of the major mental health conditions that can cause a person to feel tired and drowsy all day long. Many people with depression sleep too much or do not sleep at all. This disturbed sleeping pattern makes their body exhausted and they might feel that despite sleeping they always seem to feel tired and lethargic.
8. Post Traumatic stress disorder
It is a serious mental health condition that occurs after a person experiences a particularly intense and disturbing traumatic event. Its symptoms, of which one is disturbed sleep arises months or even years after the incident has occurred. The person experiences frequent bouts of nightmares and insomnia and therefore does not get a night of quality sleep. It makes them feel tired and drowsy the next day.
9. Narcolepsy
A neurological condition that makes you wonder why do I sleep so much is narcolepsy. Here, your brain is unable to regulate the right time for you to sleep and wake up. It causes you to fall asleep while you are engaged in any activity. You have no control over this situation. Since you are unable to sleep at night, you find yourself feeling sleepy at unusual hours the next day.
10. Parkinson’s disease
The cognitive decline caused by Parkinson’s disease causes many sleep disturbances to the patients. Due to lack of sleep the night before, the patients find it difficult to remain alert the next day. Moreover, the medications that a person suffering from this disease takes also interferes with their sleep.
11. Meningitis
It is a serious infection that affects the membranes of a person’s brain and spine. If left untreated, it can cause brain damage and consequent death. One of the major symptoms of this infection is fatigue and excessive sleepiness. It might seem hard for you to wake up once you have fallen asleep.
12. Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious metabolic disorder where your body’s cells are unable to produce insulin to process glucose or sugar. Disturbed sleep due to unstable blood sugar levels is a common symptom of this condition. It also makes the patients suffer from insomnia and the consequent fatigue and sleepiness the next day.
13. Kidney disease
If your kidneys are damaged, then it becomes difficult for them to filter out waste products from your body. With the buildup of these products in the blood, you might develop conditions like restless leg syndrome and insomnia. All of these causes you to experience excessive sleep the next day because of your inability to get a good sleep the night before.
How Can I Stop Sleeping Too Much?
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If you are suffering from any of the above conditions, then it is essential for you to consult your doctor and communicate with them about your symptoms. But excessive sleepiness is not only a result of the above mentioned serious conditions. It can also happen if you do not have proper sleeping habits. If you are not diagnosed with the conditions described above and still ask, Why do I sleep so much and still feel tired, you might need to do the following
Maintain a proper sleeping schedule
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Improve your sleep hygiene by making your bedroom environment conducive to sleep
Keep your stress levels under control
It is also important for you to know how much sleep is too much. Most healthy adults require seven to nine hours of sound sleep. You may require more than this if you engage in a physically demanding job. You can also sleep a few hours more if you have not had a quality sleep since quite some time. Either way, seven to nine hours of rest is a must for you to function optimally.