OVERSLEEPING
Oversleeping is described as exceeding 9 hours of sleep (mostly regarded as 10+ hours)
REASONS WE OVERSLEEP:
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Numerous nights of poor quantity/quality of sleep
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Sickness/illness
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Medical conditions
IS TOO MUCH SLEEP REALLY A BAD THING?
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Sleep research is a vastly growing field of study- Oversleeping has been associated with medical issues, anxiety, and depression as well as low energy levels and weight gain. (Note these are only associations, not as a direct result of oversleeping- often there are other factors at play.)
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7-9 HOURS is recommended for adults, this may differ from person to person. (e.g. A person’s lifestyle may influence longer sleep episodes on the weekend because of sleep deprivation during the week, so a little lie in during the weekends is likely no big deal).
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Quantity does not equal quality sleep! e.g. body needs REM sleep, so if you sleep for longer but with lesser quality your body is instinctively trying to achieve the quality sleep it needs- so you will sleep for longer.
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If you find you are averaging more than 9 hours most nights you could be oversleeping. If you still don’t feel well-rested on less than that, then it may be worth taking a closer look at your quality of sleep and sleep environment.
NAPPING
RECOMMENDED DURATION:
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Between 30-90 minutes
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Shorter nap time (10-30 minutes) can help improve alertness and energy
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Longer nap time (60-90 minutes) can help reduce sleep debt and build up quantity of sleep
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If you still feel groggy 15-30 minutes after waking up, it is possible you are still sleep deprived
BENEFITS:
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Adds quantity to your sleeping time if you do not get a full night’s sleep
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Can boost training performance
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Improved cognitive function
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Emotional regulation
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Improves memory
RECOMMENDED TIME:
Between 12-3pm​
STRUGGLING TO NAP?! If you cannot seem to fall asleep, 10-20 minutes of deep rest (laying down, eyes closed and deep breathing) has shown similar benefits to napping!