Why Are You Tired When You Sleep More Than Usual?
Sleeping too little leaves you tired, but so does sleeping too much. So what’s the right number behind a good night’s sleep? Let’s find out!
A poor night’s sleep might leave you exhausted the next day. When you combine a series of those, the annoying tiredness sets in.
Getting enough sleep at night may significantly impact how you feel during the day. Sleeping too little or too much might leave you feeling tired the entire day.
Even if you sleep the recommended eight hours, you may feel tired the next day if the quality of your sleep isn’t just right. Frequent awakenings, nightmares, and other factors can disrupt your sleep.
Are You Still Tired After 10 Hours Of Sleep?
Although most of us require roughly eight hours of sleep each night to feel recharged throughout the day, what defines enough sleep is very subjective.
You might already know that less sleep than necessary will leave you exhausted. But did you know that sleeping more than you should, does not leave you rested and energetic?
In fact, many people report feeling more tired and unmotivated on days when they oversleep.
Did you know that the feeling you get when you oversleep is similar to a hangover? Moreover, this feeling is induced by the same bodily function that causes jet lag.
The link between insufficient sleep and insufficient energy is backed by scientific research.
Any considerable deviation from typical sleep patterns tends to disrupt the body’s cycles and increase tiredness during the day.
The best way to avoid feeling tired in the morning is to follow a strict sleeping schedule both during workdays and weekends.
It doesn’t matter if you’re on vacation, on holiday, or on a Saturday night; if you want to feel rested the next day, you must get eight hours (no more and no less) of quality, uninterrupted sleep.
Now, sometimes, the quality of your sleep is dictated by other factors. Let’s take a look at the most common causes of oversleeping.
The Science Behind Sleeping Times
While you sleep, your body goes through multiple sleep cycles that last about 90 minutes each.
A 90-minute sleep cycle looks like this:
- Stage 1 (the first 15 minutes after you fall asleep): this is a surface sleep, your body isn’t relaxed yet and it can easily wake up, leaving you restful and energetic.
- Stages 2 and 3 (the next hour or so): your body goes into a deeper sleep with your muscles fully relaxed, heart rate down, and low brain activity; this time it takes more effort for your body to wake up and regain consciousness.
- Stage 4 (in the last minutes of the 90-minute cycle): this is the deepest sleep stage, also known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement), where your brain activity spikes, but your entire body, except for your eyes, experiences temporary paralysis. You don’t want to wake up in this stage because you’ll end up feeling tired and groggy.
If you want to wake up restful and energetic, you have to sleep for a multiple of 90 minutes. And you must also take into account the 15-20 minutes it usually takes to fall asleep.
So here’s how much you should sleep, according to science:
- 6 to 6.5 hours (4 cycles);
- 7.5 to 8 hours (5 cycles);
- 9 to 9.5 hours (6 cycles).
Main Causes Of Waking Up Tired
Here are the main potential causes of frequently sleeping too much (oversleeping, or hypersomnia) and waking up tired:
- Poor-quality sleep – You may sleep the necessary amount of time yet still feel exhausted and groggy. The poor quality of your sleep might be causing this.
- Medical conditions – These include sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, obesity, diabetes, and even depression.
- Genetics – Some people thrive on little sleep by nature. Others, on the other hand, thrive after nine hours. Genetics also plays a role in this, it’s not always about a medical condition.
- Sleep-disrupting substances – These include caffeinated beverages, alcohol, drugs, and even certain medications.
- A sedentary life – Exercising more during the day helps you sleep better during the night.
- Dehydration – It might decrease your energy levels and alertness. Drink plenty of water to replenish the fluids lost over the day.
- Poor dietary choices – A diet based on processed foods may deplete your energy, so switching to a healthy diet rich in veggies, fruits, and legumes may help.
As you can see, poor-quality sleep isn’t the only reason you feel tired after ten hours of sleep.
The Takeaway
In most instances, oversleeping may be reduced by making changes to your lifestyle or diet, addressing a nutrient deficit, or treating an underlying medical problem.
Sleeping more than usual brings no real benefits and, instead, makes you feel groggy and fatigued.
So, as an adult, you should aim to sleep anywhere between 7.5 and 8 hours each night.