What is too much sleep a night?

How Much Sleep Do I Need?

Most teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Getting the right amount of sleep is important for anyone who wants to do well on a test or play their best in sports. Unfortunately, many teens don’t get enough sleep.

Why Don’t Teens Get Enough Sleep?

Teens often got a bad rap for staying up late, oversleeping for school, and falling asleep in class. But teen sleep patterns are different from those of adults or younger kids.

During the teen years, the body’s rhythm (an internal biological clock) is reset, telling a person to fall asleep later and wake up later. This change is likely due to the brain hormone , which is released later at night for teens than it is for kids and adults. This can make it harder for teens to fall asleep early.

Changes in the body’s circadian rhythm coincide with a busy time in life. For most teens, the pressure to do well in school is more intense and it’s harder to get by without studying hard. And teens have other time demands — everything from sports and other extracurricular activities to working a part-time job. Using electronics — including phones, tablets, and computers — also makes it hard to fall sleep. Many teens are up late texting friends, playing games, and watching videos.

Early school start times also play a role in lost sleep. Teens who fall asleep after midnight still have to get up early for school, meaning that they might squeeze in only 6 or 7 hours, or less, of sleep a night. A few hours of missed sleep a night may not seem like a big deal, but it can create a noticeable sleep deficit over time.

Why Is Sleep Important?

Sleep is important for you to be at your best. Teens need sleep to:

pay attention and learn in school
improve athletic performance
grow and develop normally
be healthy

Lost sleep can lead to poor grades, relationship problems, and drowsy driving. Falling asleep while driving can cause serious car accidents.

People with ongoing sleep deficits can have:

health problems, like heart disease and obesity
trouble fighting infections
emotional problems, like depression

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Am I Getting Enough Sleep?

Even if you think you’re getting enough sleep, you might not be. You may need more sleep if you:

have a hard time waking up in the morning
have trouble concentrating
are falling asleep during classes
feel irritable, moody, sad, or depressed

How Can I Get More Sleep?

Here are some things that may help you to sleep better:

Set regular bed and wake up times. Try to stick to your sleep schedule, within an hour or two, even on weekends.

Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can help you sleep better. Try not to exercise right before bed, though. Exercise can rev you up and make it harder to fall asleep.

Avoid caffeine. Don’t drink beverages with caffeine, such as soda, tea, and coffee, after dinner. Nicotine (smoking and vaping) and alcohol in the evening can make a person restless and interrupt sleep.

Unwind by keeping the lights low. Light signals the brain that it’s time to wake up. Staying away from bright lights (including device screens), listening to soothing music, or meditating before bed can help your body relax.

Turn off electronics. Don’t use your phone (including texting), tablets, computer, or TV at least 1 hour before you go to bed.

Don’t nap too much. Naps of more than 30 minutes during the day and naps too close to bedtime may keep you from falling asleep later.

Create the right sleeping environment. People sleep best in a dark room that is slightly on the cool side. Use a nature sounds or white-noise machine (or app) if you need to block out a noisy environment.

Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia)

Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) is different from feeling tired all the time.

If you have hypersomnia, you may:

regularly nap during the day and not feel refreshed
fall asleep during the day, often while eating or talking
still sleep for long hours at night

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

you often fall asleep during the day
sleepiness is affecting your life

What happens at your appointment

To find out why you’re sleeping excessively, a GP might:

ask you about possible causes of your sleepiness, such mental or physical health problems, or any medicines you may be taking
suggest you keep a diary of when you sleep
refer you to a doctor who specialises in sleep disorders

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Treatment for excessive sleepiness will depend on what’s causing it. It may include medicine to help keep you awake.

Causes of hypersomnia

Sometimes other conditions may be related to excessive sleepiness (hypersomnia). These conditions can have additional symptoms.

Possible causes of excessive daytime sleepiness.

Additional symptoms	Possible cause
Falling into a deep sleep anywhere, without warning	Narcolepsy
Loud snorting, breathing and snoring at night	Sleep apnoea
An unusual feeling in your legs, particularly at night	Restless legs syndrome
Low mood, little interest in things and feeling irritable	Depression
Mood swings that range from extreme highs (mania) to extreme lows	Bipolar disorder

Some medicines, drinking too much alcohol and taking drugs can also cause excessive daytime sleepiness.

Sometimes there is no known cause. This is called idiopathic hypersomnia.

Things you can try to help your sleeping habits

Changing your sleep habits may not cure excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia), but it might help you feel better.

go to bed at the same time every night
avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine
create a peaceful sleeping environment
if possible, avoid medicines that can cause drowsiness
avoid working late into the night

It might also help to talk to your family and friends about your excessive daytime sleepiness so they’re aware of it.

Page last reviewed: 04 August 2020
Next review due: 04 August 2023

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Does Sleeping Too Much Affect You?

Lana Barhum has been a freelance medical writer for over 14 years. She shares advice on living well with chronic disease.

Updated on February 12, 2020

Keri Peterson, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and operates a private practice, Age Well, in New York City.

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While it is true that a good night’s sleep is essential to good health, excessive sleep has been linked to a host of medical problems. It is important that while you make sure you’re getting enough sleep every day, that you also make sure you are not getting too much of a good thing.

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Learning about how much sleep you need each night can provide you with a benchmark to make sure you don’t put yourself at risk for the negative effects of too much sleep.

How Much Sleep Is Too Much?

The amount of sleep a person needs is different for each individual. It is dependent on a variety of factors.

Genetics

Our genes play a part in our internal sleep and circadian rhythms, the two primary biological sleep systems. Research has found that some people have a gene mutation that allows them to feel rested with as little as four hours of sleep. This gene is rare and inherited. However, most people need at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night to feel rested and refreshed.

Age

Children need more sleep than adults. Older adults, on the other hand, need more sleep than young adults.

Activity Level

The more active the person is, the more sleep they will need. Sleep allows time for the body to recover from physical exertion.

Health

When a person is coping with health issues, they will need more sleep. This applies to short-term illnesses such as the flu and long-term chronic conditions, such as diabetes.

Life Changes

Stress and life changes can either increase a person’s need for sleep or make it harder to sleep. No matter whether the stress and life changes are positive or negative, it will impact a person’s sleep.

Generally speaking, an adult who is consistently sleeping ten or more hours per night is probably sleeping too much and should talk to their doctor.

Causes

There are several reasons why a person might be sleeping too much.

Hypersomnia

This is the medical term for sleeping too much and for excessive daytime sleepiness. Much like insomnia (sleeplessness), sleeping too much is a sign of disordered sleep. Hypersomnia is diagnosed when excessive sleep has no known explanation.

Sleepiness with hypersomnia cannot be resolved by napping. Further, hypersomnia causes a person to sleep for unusually long periods at night. Hypersomnia also causes low energy, memory problems, and anxiety.

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Narcolepsy

This is a neurological sleep disorder where the brain is unable to control the sleep and wake cycles. People with narcolepsy have excessive daytime sleepiness and may fall asleep during the day and during normal activities such as driving.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This sleep disorder causes people to stop breathing for brief periods. It can also cause an increased need for sleep because it disrupts the natural sleep cycle.

Depression

Depression is one of the most common reasons a person may sleep too much. Being depressed causes a person to be tired all the time and have no energy. Thus, depressed people need to sleep more.

Medications

Certain medications to treat health conditions may make a person feel tired and drowsy often. Therefore, they will want to sleep more—oftentimes to what is considered excessive.

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol, regardless of how much, can promote sleep disorders. This includes sleep apnea and snoring. It is also known for causing sleep disturbances, especially with sleep patterns and daytime sleepiness.

Most causes of sleeping too much are temporary. They can be resolved with simple lifestyle changes, including eating healthy, being active, keeping a regular schedule, and putting a stop to unhealthy habits.

When to Seek Help

Anyone who finds themselves consistently sleeping 10 or more hours per night should see a doctor to determine why they are oversleeping. If oversleeping is the result of drinking too much alcohol or certain medications, cutting back or the elimination of these substances may help.

Of course, if oversleeping is due to the effects of prescription medication, the medication should not be stopped without the approval of a doctor. If oversleeping is caused by a health condition, managing that condition and practicing better sleep habits may help reduce the need to oversleep.

A Word From Verywell

Regardless of the reason for a person’s oversleeping, practicing good sleeping habits can help you to get the seven to eight hours of quality sleep you need. It is also a good idea to go to bed at the same time every night and have the same wake-up time. Avoid caffeine and alcohol too close to bedtime. Regular exercise can improve sleep quality, too. Lastly, make sure your bedroom is comfortable and free of distractions.