I have never quite understood how sleep works and have recently started my own research project about sleep. I have wondered if sleeping too much is a problem. Now, my gut reaction is: yes. When I sleep too much: I feel groggy, sometimes have headaches, have trouble waking up, and trouble getting important tasks done.I wanted to do some research to see if sleeping too much is wrong as I think it is. Also, are there actually negative side effects to sleeping too much?

I have learned that sleeping too much can be a big problem. Now, if you are an infant or young child, have a cold, flu, or are elderly, you need more sleep. I am in my mid-thirties, currently not suffering from an illness that requires extra rest. I do, however, have diabetes, battle with depression, and have trouble sticking to set schedule.

I have already researched how sleep works and have found that it is important to get 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Often, I do not get uninterrupted sleep. As I continued my research, I found that if you sleep more than 9 hours at a time, that this can lead to (and worsen) diabetes, cause or make depression worse, cause headaches, heart disease, and problems with obesity. (Now I am not a doctor and am not diagnosing myself or anyone else, but am going to talk to my doctor about my sleep pattern at my next appointment. I also encourage anyone else experiencing the same problems with sleep to see a doctor as well).

I often sleep for more that 9 hours a day. I knew that sleeping too much was not good. I didn’t realize how this extra sleep contributed and even caused many of my medical problems. I often thought that my medical problems caused me to sleep too much. Now I know that perhaps it may be the other way around. Does sleeping too much have negative affects? Yes. So can you sleep too much? Yes. Should you? No.

Now, I am going to continue my research on sleep, but I have already decided to make some changes in my sleeping pattern. First, make sure I can get 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. Second, help myself to not sleep too much. To accomplish this, I am going to set a sleeping schedule, and make it a priority in my life. I am beginning to understand how important sleep is in my life. My research project will continue and wish all of you: sweet dreams!