A good night’s sleep is necessary for healthy health. Oversleeping, on the other hand, has been related to a slew of health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, and an increased chance of mortality.
However, two additional characteristics, sadness and poor socioeconomic position, are highly linked to oversleeping, according to the researchers. These two elements might be to blame for the unfavorable health impacts that have been documented.
People with a lower socioeconomic standing may have less access to healthcare and hence more untreated ailments, such as heart disease, leading to oversleeping.
Ascendant NY considers sleeping addiction a severe health issue. If you want to know more, you can click here to continue.
Table of Contents
Is Sleeping Addiction A Real Issue?
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults must get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. This isn’t just about how much time you spend in bed; it’s about how much sleep you get.
If you don’t feel refreshed after a 7-hour sleep and find yourself craving naps during the day, you may be suffering from a sleep addiction.
On the other hand, excessive sleepiness might be an indication of something else. In addition, mental health issues, including sadness and anxiety, and some drugs, can have a similar impact.
Addiction is most usually linked with gambling, drugs, alcohol, and smoking, but it’s possible to be hooked on just about anything.
Can this, however, be applied to sleep?
Probably not, because sleep addiction is not a medically recognized illness.
People with addiction use drugs or participate in activities that have become compulsive and are often continued despite adverse effects.
Sleep is a biological function that isn’t damaging in any way.
To fit this criterion, sleep would have to result in negative repercussions, which is extremely unusual. So the only exclusions would be if someone was sleepwalking and did something harmful.
Types
Excessive Daytime Sleep and Cataplexy are symptoms of narcolepsy, a debilitating neurological condition. It is when you lose your muscular tone voluntarily without any change in your consciousness level concerning strong emotion-generating reactions.
Cataplexy-free narcolepsy is a narcolepsy variation without cataplexy.
Due to the lack of identifiable symptoms like sleep apneas or cataplexy, Idiopathic Hypersomnia is not well-recognized. It is a relatively poorly characterized illness in which you may face breathing difficulties while sleeping.
Recurrent Hypersomnia is marked by bouts of more than 16 hours of sleep. Kleine-Levin syndrome is the most well-known recurrent HS, and it includes both cognitive and behavioral abnormalities such as overeating and hypersexual behavior during symptomatic episodes.
Mental Health Impact Of Sleeping Addiction
Another reason you can be addicted to sleeping is if you have a mental health problem.
People who suffer from certain mental illnesses spend a lot of time in bed. For example, with some kinds of depression, this is extremely prevalent. Hypersomnia is a symptom of several mental illnesses.
According to research, a psychological reliance on sleep might be a sign of depression.
According to a 2008 study, there are substantial correlations between oversleeping and depression, with roughly 40% of sad young persons experiencing hypersomnia and 10% of older depressed adults experiencing the same. Women had a larger percentage of these figures.
According to 2014 research, people who slept for more than 8 hours per night were more likely to be depressed than those who slept for less than 8 hours.
Insomnia and hypersomnia are both symptoms of depression.
While insomnia was the most prevalent sleep problem among adults with depression, over half of the participants in the research reported hypersomnia as a symptom of their sadness.
People who think about or talk about escape from reality may be motivated by a deep discontent with their waking lives and a wish to block out all negative in a coma-like state.
The causal association between sleep deprivation and drug addiction is also linked in another way. For example, people who have insomnia may try to self-medicate their sleeping problems with drugs or other calming medicines such as benzodiazepines, which may raise their risk of substance abuse.
They may also use stimulant medicines to make up for the lack of sleep throughout the day.
Insufficient sleep may raise the likelihood of drug use in various ways, for as by affecting cognition. As a result, sleep disorders and other obstacles to getting enough sleep should be targeted as preventative targets.
FAQs
1: Is It Normal To Sleep 12 Hours?
Ans: Some people like to sleep for more than the designated hours, and they also sleep more than other people in their age groups. They are known as ‘Long Sleepers.’ Many adults also sleep for 10-12 hours, and it is normal because that’s how their biological clock is set and manufactured.
2: What Are The Symptoms Of Sleeping Too Much?
Ans: If you sleep too much, you will face productivity issues because if you spend most of your hours sleeping, you won’t have many hours left to work. You will also face anxiety, memory issues, low energy during the day alongside extreme fatigue, and sleepiness when you sleep too much.
3: What Does It Mean When A Person Sleeps A Lot?
Ans: If a person sleeps a lot, it is because he has some sleeping disorder conditions like insomnia or sleep apnea. Depression and anxiety can also cause a person to sleep a lot. There are many medications that can keep you drowsy the entire day, and you will fall asleep as soon as you hit the bed.
4: How Do I Recover From Sleeping Too Much?
Ans: You can start by getting into a structured routine, creating the perfect sleep ambiance, keeping a sleep journal, and avoiding oversleeping on the weekends. Putting your phone away from the bed can also help you sleep faster, which will prevent oversleeping in the morning.
5: Can You Be Addicted To Sleep?
Ans: Sleep addiction is not a medically recognized illness. People who are addicted to drugs and alcohol use these substances despite knowing their harmful impacts. Sleeping does not qualify under that criteria because it is a biological action that is not deemed harmful.
Wrap Up
Too much sleep may not be an addiction, but it is harmful to your mental health.
We have discussed the types of sleeping disorders here, so if you associate yourself with any of those issues, it’s time you talk to a professional.
If you want more info from us, let us know in the comment section.
