Sleep generally comes with a host of health benefits, but overdoing it is associated with health risks and could indicate an underlying condition. By Moira Lawler; Medically Reviewed by Alex Dimitriu, MD
Having enough, quality sleep is undeniably one of the most crucial factors when it comes to our mental and physical health, quality of life, and overall safety.
Proper sleep not only leaves you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day, it also improves learning, helps the heart and blood vessels repair themselves, promotes a healthy balance of hunger hormones, and aids the immune system.
For most people, seven to nine hours of sleep each night is sufficient, though your age, activity level, and health can shift that target in either direction.
While sleep deprivation is a widespread problem, sleeping too much can be cause for concern as well. But how much is too much sleep?
Experts define oversleeping as sleeping more than nine hours in a 24-hour period.
You’ve likely done that before when recovering from a stressful work week, or a busy travel weekend, or if your body was fighting a cold. In those cases, oversleeping is normal, says Safia Khan, MD, a specialist in sleep disorders and an assistant professor in the department of family and community medicine and the department of neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
“If you’re just waking up late just to catch up on your sleep, that’s called recovery sleep,” Dr. Khan says. “But when you’re doing that habitually and sleeping more than eight or nine hours every day, that would be oversleeping.”
What Causes Oversleeping? Oversleeping typically indicates something else is going on, such as an underlying sleep disorder or another medical condition. “Oversleeping is more of a symptom than a diagnosis,” Khan says.
“The most common causes we look at when someone says they’re sleeping more than nine hours a night is if it’s a medication’s effect or a medical, psychiatric, or neurological disorder,” says Ulysses Magalang, MD, the director of the sleep disorders program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. “If those aren’t the reason, it could be a sleep disorder.”
According to research, oversleeping most often occurs with the following underlying health conditions: Obesity, Heart disease, Diabetes, Restless leg syndrome, Bruxism (teeth grinding or clenching), Chronic pain, Sleep disorder (such as sleep apnea, insomnia, or narcolepsy) Hypothyroidism, Depression or anxiety
One study, for example, found that sleeping more than six to eight hours per day (including naps) was linked to higher risk of death from heart disease, according to survey data from more than 116,632 adults from 21 countries.
Khan says oversleeping can also be attributed to hypersomnia (or excessive daytime sleepiness), delayed sleep phase syndrome, an abnormal balance of hormones, Parkinson’s, or dementia.
Signs You’re Sleeping too Much
While regularly sleeping more than nine hours per night is one red flag, it’s not the only signal to look out for. And sleeping more than nine hours a night isn’t always cause for concern.
Some people naturally need more sleep than others. “About 2 percent of the population are ‘long sleepers’ who require between 10 to 12 hours of sleep nightly on a regular basis,” says Shanon Makekau, MD, the chief of pulmonology and the sleep medicine director at Kaiser Permanente in Honolulu.
For these people, oversleeping is normal. “Trying to impose a typical seven- to nine-hour sleep schedule on such people can be detrimental and effectively results in a sleep debt,” Dr. Makekau says. If you regularly sleep longer than nine hours per night, but wake up feeling refreshed and rested, you’re likely a long sleeper. If you don’t, there could be a problem.
Oversleeping is generally accompanied by the following symptoms:
Tiredness during the day, Grogginess, Headache, Decreased energy, Mood changes
Waking up but you can’t get up, Never feeling refreshed, Sleeping through an alarm
Why Oversleeping Is Risky
“While consistently getting less than the recommended amount of sleep has been associated with multiple adverse health outcomes, sleeping more than nine hours per night regularly may also be detrimental,” Makekau says.
She says oversleeping can lead to: Increased fatigue and low energy, Decrease in immune function, Changes in stress response, Increased risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, Increased risk of death.
What to Do if You Suspect You’ve Been Oversleeping
The Cleveland Clinic offers these tips to get your sleeping back on track:
Avoid the snooze button, Wake up at the same time every day — weekends included.
Embrace natural light when you wake up and avoid it close to bedtime.
If you still find yourself oversleeping regularly after making these changes, schedule a visit with your primary care physician. Dr. Magalang says doctors will typically employ a process of elimination to rule out conditions to determine the underlying issue.
Your doctor will likely give you a physical exam, review medications that may affect sleep, and discuss further testing, including blood work, Makekau says. They will also want to know details about your sleep habits. Khan suggests you keep a sleep diary for at least two weeks before the appointment and note how much you’re sleeping and the quality of that sleep.
Following these steps, they may give you a referral to a sleep clinic or recommend you have a sleep study done, Khan says. A sleep study can help rule out sleep disorders.
The Takeaway
While getting enough good-quality sleep is crucial to your overall mental and physical health, oversleeping can lead to health problems. Like sleep deprivation, oversleeping can have a negative impact on your daily life and potentially lead to some health issues, so aiming for the right amount is key. Oversleeping may also be a symptom of an underlying health issue. If you're regularly sleeping more than nine hours and still feeling tired, consider seeking advice from your doctor or healthcare provider.
As Always Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and Be Careful out there
James A Vito, D.M.D.