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Why does too much sleep make you feel heinous?

Polluted_Mind

Polluted_Mind

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 25, 2012
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187
I love sleep, it's akin to one of the most blissful feelings a person ever experiences when you're just on the verge of nodding off. But one thing I've noticed very clearly is that too much sleep (ie: >9 hours) means the next day:

- I'm far more lethargic and tired, even more so than if you had only had 3-4 hours sleep the night before. This is a really bizarre paradox.
- I have extremely low amounts of energy. Just walking to different classes suddenly is a bit of a challenge. Muscles just don't want to work properly.
- Attention span is very low, and I find it hard to concentrate.
- Anxiety (social) becomes a problem.
- Much more likely to feel melancholic.

Now I know this is just personal experience so I have a piece-wise question:

- Do other people experience similar/same symptoms from hypersomnia (not sure if that's even a word)?
- What is the scientific rationale for this?

Nowadays I force myself to get only 7 hours a night (6 is even more desirable, 8 absolute maximum) as then I have incredible energy, concentration, sociability, etc.

Thanks for your help =D
 
yes.

i also used to love sleep. i recall one day after staying up with whatever young people do, i slept 20 hours straight and felt fine. now more than 8 hours makes me feel terrible. i can't say i have researched it, so i can only speculate. young people simply have more "energy", i guess. perhaps its the more solid routine in adulthood which makes it this way. metabolism is another guess.
 
I am the same way, though perhaps not to quite such an extreme. I have gotten in the routine of getting up around 5/6am for work, and once in a while I feel like sleeping in on my days off. If I do go back to sleep, however, my second wake up of the morning is very groggy. I have no energy and my head is foggy. Whereas the first time I wake for the day, I am usually full of energy and in a good mood.
at least it jives with my daily schedule.
 
I've noticed this too, but I've always interpreted it as a problem arising from breaking a consistent sleep schedule, not a problem from "too much sleep". If your body is adjusted to 7 hours per night, that is going to be your sweet spot, and sleeping any more or less will be a disruption in the routine that your body doesn't expect. So, 9 hours will be as detrimental as 5.

I think it's ideal to become accustomed to plenty of sleep, so it becomes routine to get 9 hours or so.
 
Perhaps it's a Darwinian adaptation to discourage us from being lazy asses. If you're asleep, you can't hunt/gather.
 
Low blood sugar. From what I've read out of a book called "the four hour body" anyway. He suggests a great solution: 2 tablespoons of almond butter (or peanut butter) + two tablespoons of flaxseed oil before bed. They're full of protein. I'm not sure if other sources of protein are as good. Works for me though.
 
I think it also has to do with your body's natural sleep cycles. I am exactly the same way as you. Anything more than 9 to 10 hours I feel extremely sluggish/tired the whole day. When i get between 7-8:30 and have solid dreams then that is the best.
 
Your vein and lymph system need movement in order to refresh their flow. That combined with not eating is probably why over-sleeping makes you feel shitty.
 
Agreed.

Heaven forbid I sleep past 12pm, I am a ball of misery and terror the next time. I basically just need to find a way to erase that day. Though its painful to get into the habit of waking up at 6-7:30am, I feel much much better when I do and have a whole day of getting stuff done.

It gets trickier when insomnia is thrown into the mix.

jazz88
 
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