Are you also facing sleep addiction so much that it is affecting your productivity and your regular work? Do you feel difficulty in waking up or do you feel tired all day? Then you are at the right place.
Here we will explain everything about sleep addiction. There is nothing medically proven as sleep addiction but oversleeping can be due to a number of reasons. We will also explain the relationship of sleep with mental health and sleeping pills. You will also learn about the best possible solutions of sleep addiction below.
By the end of this article you will be equipped with every single information related to sleep addiction. You will have a clear picture of what you are going through and what you need to do in that condition. Let’s first know if sleep addiction is real or not.
Is Sleep Addiction Real?
According to the American academy of sleep medicine a 7 hour sleep is necessary for any adult. If you are facing the need of more naps during the day or you feel tired all day then you might be facing sleep addiction.
Actually you might be feeling sleepy due to illness, quality of sleep you had or any other reason but there’s nothing proven as sleep addiction. You may also be procrastinating or you don’t have enough motivation to do other tasks. Let’s see what is the concept of sleep addiction in medicine.
Medical Opinion
There is no research or studies which have proven medically that sleep research is a real thing. Greg Potter (One of the United Kingdom’s leading doctors) while talking about this topic said “Sleep addiction is not a medically recognized condition”.
Mariana Bodiu also favoured this argument. As he explained sleep is a biological need of the body like breathing and biological needs can’t be addictions. In short there’s nothing like sleep addiction but you can face these problems due to any other illness like hypersomnia or mental health.
Symptoms Of Sleep Addiction
Although as explained above there is nothing real like sleep addiction but there are some symptoms which you might feel. These symptoms are common with people who are feeling sleep addiction. Let’s get it into the details of these symptoms. .
Tiredness
Tiredness is one of the most common symptoms of people suffering from such problems. They often feel very tired during the day despite getting the sleep at night or any other hard work.
Need Of Naps
Another very common symptom is the need for naps during the day. If you are sleeping at least 8 hours at night and still feel the need of naps during the day then you might be suffering from any disease. It can also be due to the bad quality of sleep at night.
Difficult In Waking Up
You may also feel difficulty in waking up especially after long sleep when you are facing sleep problems. According to science, after the completion of the sleep your body needs you are supposed to wake up. The hormones involved in the sleep process automatically wake you up when your body is well rested.
Hypersomnia Symptoms
Hypersomnia is the most common issue with people who are facing sleep addiction. Here are the common symptoms of hypersomnia.
- Tiredness and headaches
- Memory Problems
- Slow thinking speed
- Strange thoughts
- Slow speech
Sleep Addiction Relation With Mental Health
Sleep addiction is highly related to mental health. It’s not just a word out but it is scientifically proven with research. It is because the patients with mental health issues often spend a lot of time in bed.
Researches
Oversleeping research in 2008 proved a very high relationship of depression or psychological problems with oversleeping. Forty percent of young depressed people and ten percent of older depressed people were also seen suffering from insomnia.
According to a research in 2017 found out Insomnia was the most common sleep problem with half of the patients suffering from depression.
Sleep Addiction And Sleeping Pills
As we have seen there is nothing as sleep addiction but there can be a relation between sleeping pills and sleep. It is because if you use sleeping pills on a regular basis your body can grow a relationship with them. This condition can even lead you to hypersomnia.
Addictive Sleep Aids
Sleeping pills are not only the addictive aid that can lead you to trouble. There are also some other addictive sleeping aids which you should avoid too. It is because your body can grow in relation to these aids and you can face serious problems later.
- Trazodone zolpidem
- Quetiapine
- Eszopiclone
- Diphenhydramine
- Zaleplon
Solutions For Sleep Addiction
If your oversleep has become a serious problem and you are also having the symptoms described above then these solutions might help you. These problems might be due to your mental health or any other illness like hypersomnia.
Sleep Education
The first thing you do is educate yourself about sleep. You must know things like appropriate duration of sleep, the best time to sleep and other things and the quality of sleep. These things will help you with the changes you need to make in your routine.
Consulting A Doctor
If your condition is serious and doesn’t get any better with just sleep education or changing your routine then you may need mediation. The best choice in this condition is to consult a doctor as soon as possible and get the required treatment.
Final Words
There is nothing scientifically proven as sleep addiction because it is the biological need of our body. You could be suffering from sleep addiction due to a number of reasons. It’s better to make changes in your routine and if that doesn’t benefit you consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Oversleeping can become a serious issue affecting your productivity and even your mental health. You must take serious actions as soon as you feel any major change is your sleeping patterns.