Is it normal to sleep 11 hours a day

Home Sleep. Sleep - hypersomnia. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Characteristics of hypersomnia Symptoms of hypersomnia Causes of hypersomnia Sleep disorders Diagnosis and treatment of hypersomnia Self-help strategies Where to get help Things to remember.

Hypersomnia means excessive sleepiness. There are many different causes, the most common in our society being inadequate sleep. This may be due to shiftwork, family demands such as a new baby , study or social life. Other causes include sleep disorders, medication, and medical and psychiatric illnesses. Hypersomnia can be helped or cured with a few adjustments to lifestyle habits.

Seek advice from your doctor or sleep disorder clinic if you still feel excessively sleepy. Characteristics of hypersomnia The characteristics of hypersomnia vary from one person to the next, depending on their age, lifestyle and any underlying causes. In extreme cases, a person with hypersomnia might sleep soundly at night for 12 hours or more, but still feel the need to nap during the day.

Sleeping and napping may not help, and the mind may remain foggy with drowsiness. It is possible that a person with hypersomnia may have very disturbed sleep but not be aware of it. Causes of hypersomnia Excessive daytime sleepiness can be caused by a wide range of events and conditions, including: Insufficient or inadequate sleep — long working hours and overtime can be tolerated for months or years before the symptoms of sleepiness take effect.

Teenagers who stay out until the early hours of the morning on weekends may be tired during the week. Environmental factors — broken sleep can be caused by a variety of things such as a snoring partner, a baby that wakes, noisy neighbours, heat and cold, or sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress. Shiftwork — it is very difficult to get good sleep while working shiftwork, especially night shift.

Mental states — anxiety can keep a person awake at night, which makes them prone to sleepiness during the day. Depression saps energy. Medications — such as alcohol, caffeinated drinks, tranquillisers, sleeping pills and antihistamines can disrupt sleeping patterns. Medical conditions — like hypothyroidism underactive thyroid gland , oesophageal reflux, nocturnal asthma and chronic painful conditions can disrupt sleep. Changes to time zone — such as jet lag can affect the internal biological clock, which regulates sleep.

Think again. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that some people have a gene that enables them to function well on six hours of sleep a night. If you give yourself plenty of time for sleep but still have trouble waking up in the morning or staying alert all day, you may not be spending enough time in the different stages of sleep. Each stage of sleep in your sleep cycle offers different benefits. However, deep sleep the time when the body repairs itself and builds up energy for the day ahead and mind and mood-boosting REM sleep are particularly important.

You can ensure you get more deep sleep by avoiding alcohol, nicotine, and being woken during the night by noise or light.

While improving your overall sleep will increase REM sleep, you can also try sleeping an extra 30 minutes to an hour in the morning, when REM sleep stages are longer.

How is it possible to be sleep deprived without knowing it? Most of the signs of sleep deprivation are much more subtle than falling face first into your dinner plate. Rule out medical causes for your sleep problems. A sleep disturbance may be a symptom of a physical or mental health issue , or a side-effect of certain medications. Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Support your biological clock by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, including weekends. Get regular exercise.

Regular exercise can improve the symptoms of many sleep disorders and problems. Aim for 30 minutes or more of activity on most days—but not too close to bedtime.

Be smart about what you eat and drink. Caffeine, alcohol, and sugary foods can all disrupt your sleep, as can eating heavy meals or drinking lots of fluids too close to bedtime. Get help with stress management. If the stress of managing work, family, or school is keeping you awake at night, learning how to handle stress in a productive way can help you sleep better at night. Improve your sleep environment.

Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool, and reserve your bed for just sleeping and sex. Develop a relaxing bedtime routine. Avoid screens, work, and stressful conversations late at night.

Instead, wind down and calm your mind by taking a warm bath, reading by a dim light, or practicing a relaxation technique to prepare for sleep. Postpone worrying. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health, 1 1 , 40— Healthy sleep. Kikuchi, H. Does sleep aggravate tension-type headache?

BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 5 1 , Liu, Y. Sleep duration and chronic diseases among US adults age 45 years and older: Evidence from the behavioral risk factor surveillance system. Sleep, 36 10 , — Strohl, K. Sleep apnea. Merck Manual Consumer Version. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Narcolepsy fact sheet. Idiopathic hypersomnia. National Institute of Mental Health. Learn more about How Sleep Works. Updated By Eric Suni March 10, Oversleeping By Austin Meadows November 3, By Danielle Pacheco November 11, By Eric Suni November 4, By Eric Suni November 2, By Rob Newsom September 20, By Jay Summer September 2, By Danielle Pacheco August 26, By Jay Summer August 26, What Kind of Sleeper Are You?

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