Oversleeping Can Be Bad for Your Health—How to Know if You're Sleeping Too Much

Many people struggle to get enough sleep throughout the week due to stress, insomnia, overstimulation, and more. What results is a smattering of less-than-ideal side effects the following day. “Typical symptoms of inadequate sleep can include feeling unrefreshed, even as the day progresses, and finding it hard to stay awake during the day,” says Martin Reed is the founder of Insomnia Coach.

However, others deal with the exact opposite issue—namely oversleeping. While plenty of us would only hope to have the time and ability to oversleep, this condition can also have negative health implications on one’s day-to-day life. Below, we will help demystify what oversleeping is, how it impacts our health, and ways to stop oversleeping (if you fit within that category).

What is Oversleeping?

First things first, what exactly qualifies as oversleeping?

“If someone regularly sleeps for longer than nine or 10 hours and still feels tired during the day, they might be experiencing oversleeping,” says Reed. Though, he explains that since sleep needs vary from person to person, sleeping for longer durations is only a problem if it interferes with someone’s ability to engage in daily functions and accomplish what they set out to do in everyday life.

Oversleeping, also known as ‘long sleeping,’ is alternatively defined as regularly sleeping over 10 hours per day, above the National Sleep Foundation’s recommendation of seven to nine hours for adults between the ages of 18 and 64.

How to Tell if You’re Oversleeping

Oversleeping can be a single occurrence, like if you’re catching up after a hectic week or a strenuous event. “Oversleeping might also happen as a side-effect of certain medications, or when we are unwell or recovering from being unwell,” says Reed. 

However, oversleeping can also be a chronic condition. Reed explains that chronic oversleeping can be a symptom of another pre-existing health concern, like sleep apnea, delayed sleep phase syndrome, or hypersomnia. 

While some regular oversleepers may be quick to diagnose themselves with hypersomnia, this rare condition is characterized by “excessive daytime sleepiness, uncontrollable need to sleep with long unrefreshing naps, and difficulty waking up from sleep in most instances despite average or longer amounts of nocturnal sleep for at least three months,” according to the National Institutes of Health.

Certain diagnoses like narcolepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Kleine-Levin syndrome, restless leg syndrome, chronic pain, and traumatic brain injury can also lead to oversleeping. “People suffering from depression might be more likely to spend longer periods of time in bed, too,” says Reed. Though, the best way to know for sure if you’re oversleeping is to visit your healthcare provider.

Is Oversleeping Bad?

While oversleeping may sound like a dream (pun intended) for some, engaging in this sleep behavior over long periods of time can pose some significant health concerns. “Oversleeping can make you feel more tired if you don’t have a consistent sleep schedule, because big variations in when we get out of bed to start the day can disrupt the body clock, making it harder for the body to regulate wakefulness and sleepiness,” says Reed.

Whether you oversleep on rare occasions or chronically, the habit can have a smattering of health effects, especially on your mood. Some may experience anxiety, fatigue, irritation, agitation, memory problems, and brain fogginess. Additionally, since our circadian rhythms also influence hunger cues, those who oversleep may report having either increased or decreased appetite, which could influence body weight.

However, chronic oversleeping can have some additional, more concerning health implications. According to a 2018 clinical review of over five million participants from over 130 prospective cohort studies published in Sleep Medicine Reviews, long sleep was significantly associated with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, and increased mortality risk. Johns Hopkins also notes that oversleeping can increase risk for depression and headaches.

How to Stop Oversleeping

If you think you may fit within the oversleeper category, there are plenty of actions you can take to ensure your sleep health is in tiptop shape. Again, these interventions are best implemented after paying your doctor a visit to rule out any underlying medical causes for oversleeping.

“If there is no medical explanation, some behavioral changes that might help include having a consistent out-of-bed time in the morning by putting an alarm clock on the other side of the room, or making morning plans that require you to get out of bed by a certain time, as well as being active during the day and spending time outside,” says Reed.

Avoiding blue light and sleep-disrupting nutrients like caffeine, alcohol, added sugar, and diuretics before bed can also encourage more restful sleep, decreasing the chance that interrupted sleep is leading to oversleeping habits.

Research has also shown that cognitive behavioral therapy may be supportive in alleviating oversleeping symptoms, particularly if they are related to conditions like depression. Certain medications may also help address oversleeping. However, undergoing a sleep study can be one of the best ways to tackle oversleeping, as it provides sleep experts with important data that they can use to provide a more tailored treatment approach.

The Bottom Line

Although many of us would love the opportunity to oversleep, the condition can pose nearly as many adverse health effects as undersleeping. While one-off nights of oversleeping aren’t so concerning, chronic oversleeping can allude to either underlying health concerns, or increase our risk for new ones. This is why, in addition to making simple lifestyle changes at home, it’s so important to visit your healthcare provider if you think you may fall under this umbrella.