How oversleeping can ruin your health

Unfortunately, too much of a good thing is totally a thing, and oversleeping is one of those things.

We usually hear about the dangers of not getting enough sleep, but the dangers of sleeping too much definitely also deserve some airtime. And here we were thinking the more beauty sleep, the more beautiful, right? Wrong.

There is, in fact, a medical condition called hypersomnia which demands 10-12 hours of sleep instead of the recommended 7-8.

Hypersomnia only affects 2% of the population, however, so if you’re always clocking in 10-12 hours and constantly waking up feeling in no way refreshed after what should have been an epic sleep-in, your body is trying to tell you to cut back.

Here’s a few red flags that you’re spending too much time between the sheets:

You’re having ‘brain farts’

You know how you have those days where your brain just… can’t? If you’re forgetting stuff all the time or just not able to think as quickly on your feet as usual, overindulgent slumber habits could be to blame.

During sleep, the brain re-balances all its chemicals and transmitters, and going overtime actually throws that balance off! If you’re looking to operate at peak brain performance, many experts say seven hours is the real sweet spot.

You feel exhausted, ALL the time

If you’re constantly sleeping in, you’re throwing your biological clock completely out of whack. You might be rolling out of bed at 11am but your body cells started their accustomed energy cycle at 7am, or after you had been asleep for around eight hours.

This is the same reason jet-lag makes you so fatigued, and when you put it like that, why would you oversleep and jet-lag yourself on purpose?

You’re gaining weight

As if we needed another weight gain factor after a big night and hungover munchies; messing with your biological clock messes with your metabolism, so that midday breakfast doesn’t give you energy – just love handles. 

You’re feeling emotional

We all feel crap after a bad night’s sleep, regardless of whether it we had too little or too much, but that constant feeling of not wanting to get out of bed could be a more serious sign of depression.

15% of people with depression reportedly oversleep, and some research indicates that sleeping too much can actually activate feelings of depression. Scary stuff – it’s important to remember that sleep and mood definitely go hand in hand!

You wake up with headaches or body pain

If your body feels like a stale pretzel after a good 12 hours in bed, or you’re waking up with a throbbing headache, it’s definitely time to get up. Too much sleep or inactivity increases inflammation in your body, most commonly in your back.

A headache could also be because your body has gone too long without water, a blood sugar boost or caffeine. 

But, we're not telling you forgo your precious sleep-ins. Once in a while is absolutely fine. But, lengthy slumbers every day of the week, however, could result in you not living your best life.

Try clocking those golden 7-8 hours, and if you’re still not feeling fab, definitely head to your doctor.

Rest easy, Remixers!