Is long sleep good for you? What happens if you sleep a lot? Such questions are rarely asked. Although it would be worth it. Quite often, after a hard week of work, people spend the whole weekend in bed. Or during the long-awaited vacation, they try to get enough sleep for the future, not getting up before lunch.

We live in a post-industrial world, where for many, the measure of self-realization is success in the profession. The main value of our society is information. The ability to quickly obtain it and use it effectively gives you an advantage in the competition, bringing you closer to success. However, you have to pay for everything. What do we pay for the opportunity to participate in the pursuit of success? First of all, time. It is constantly lacking, everyone, probably, sometimes thinks: “I want the day to be not 24, but 30 hours!” Where do we take the time to have time to do everything that we have planned for the coming day? The answer is obvious: we sleep less, and in the morning, heading to work, we dream of times when we can sleep not five or six hours a day, but doze off every day until lunch. But what this can lead to, we will consider further.

Sleep guidelines for people of all ages

First you need to determine: what is sleep “little” or “a lot”, what is the temporary norm of sleep. Sleep is very important for a person, during this period the nervous system that controls the body is released from stress, muscles rest. In computer language, when we sleep, all body systems are rebooted. It takes a certain amount of time for a successful reboot. Its duration for each person can be different, it depends on age, state of health, characteristics of the organism, loads received during the day.

The main criterion that determines the number of hours required for the full recovery of the body, of course, is age. Studies of many medical centers that study the nature of sleep have helped to accurately name the average temporary sleep rates for people of all ages. At the same time, it is conditionally assumed that a person is relatively healthy, receives average physical and psychological stress during the day.

Here are the rules:

• Newborns under the age of three months should sleep the longest, their sleep rate varies from 14 to 17 hours a day. Older babies (from 4 to 11 months) can sleep less to recover enough for them already from 12 to 15 hours.
• Small children (one-year-olds, two-year-olds), in order to get enough sleep and feel good during the day, should spend in bed from 11 to 14 hours a day.
• Preschool children (three to five years old) can sleep less, they need from 10 to 13 hours of sleep.
• The sleep rate for primary and secondary school students (six to thirteen years old) is from 9 to 11 hours. At this age, the burden (primarily psychological, emotional) on the child increases significantly due to schooling. However, the body should have enough time to relax.
• Adolescents ranging from fourteen to seventeen years old need to be in bed for 8 to 10 hours a day to get enough sleep.
• A young man between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five is already fully formed in physiological terms, he needs from 7 to 9 hours of sleep to recover. A similar norm of sleep in adults persists up to sixty-four years.
• For elderly people, whose age exceeds sixty-five years, from 7 to 8 hours is enough to rest at night.

From the above data, it can be seen that the older a person becomes, the less time he needs to sleep. These figures, of course, are averages, but they allow you to see the big picture.

Excess sleep: negative consequences

When we constantly do not get enough sleep for a long period, this adversely affects our well-being, mood, and appearance. Chronic lack of sleep makes us lethargic, lethargic, has a bad effect on brain function, skin color worsens, depression can even begin. But what happens if, on the contrary, you sleep for a long time? Is it bad to sleep a lot? It turns out that scientists are engaged in a thorough study of this issue. Sleep is a natural state, so it cannot bring any harm to health. However, if a person needs noticeably more time for a night’s rest and recovery than in the specified norm, this is a reason to worry. Such circumstances indicate that the quality of sleep is low, so the body needs more resources, including temporary ones, to reboot. The reason for the poor quality of sleep may be some kind of disease, which cannot be determined on its own, you need to consult a doctor.

Dangerous health consequences of constant oversleeping:

• Increased risk of developing diseases of the cardiovascular system. For example, if you sleep too much for a long period, then the likelihood of an angina attack increases by 100% (!), And the chance of getting coronary heart disease increases by 10%.
• Decreased blood circulation in the brain. Those who sleep too much are 47% more likely to have a stroke.
• Obesity. Research has shown a direct link between oversleeping and being overweight. For example, the chances of gaining five or six kilograms over the course of several years are a quarter higher for lovers of soaking up in bed, compared with people who comply with the norm of sleep. Extra pounds will force you not only to give up your usual wardrobe, the ability to feel confident on the beach, but can also lead to diabetes.
• Depression. It turns out that not only lack of sleep, but also its excess leads to depression. Among patients suffering from this disorder, about 15% of those who oversleep.

In addition to the above, too much sleep leads to prolonged daytime migraines. The result of prolonged lying in bed often become diseases of the spine.

Possible reasons why you want to sleep a lot

Hypersomnia (increased drowsiness) appears from time to time in almost half of the people. This disorder according to the nature of occurrence can be divided into two types: physiological and pathological. In the vast majority of cases, physiological hypersomnia is manifested . The source of its appearance can be: non-compliance with the sleep regimen for a long time, heavy physical exertion, lack of light in the cold season. The cause of increased drowsiness is sometimes a side effect of taking certain medications (antihistamines, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, etc.).

pathological type of hypersomnia is much less common, such drowsiness is a sign of some kind of disease. A patient with pathological hypersomnia has confused thinking, is constantly in a lethargic apathetic state. Such a person feels a desire to fall asleep not only at night, but throughout the day, falls asleep in public places, transport. Diseases that cause excessive sleepiness:

• Pickwickian syndrome leading to obstructive sleep apnea. Sufferers of this disease experience multiple pauses in breathing during sleep that last more than ten seconds. The disorder is accompanied by snoring, frequent interruption of sleep, migraine, high blood pressure, impotence.
• Gelino ‘s disease (narcolepsy). This is a disorder of the nervous system in which the patient experiences a strong desire to sleep during the day, which does not depend on the place and circumstances. An attack can occur even while driving, its duration is from several minutes to half an hour. After the attack passes, it seems to the person that he is rested and full of energy. The most dangerous variant of Zhelino ‘s disease is cataplexy – its attacks are accompanied by a sharp loss of muscle tone, which sometimes ends in a fatal accident.
• Idiopathic hypersomnia . Those suffering from this syndrome sleep “like the dead” at night, waking up in the morning with great difficulty. During the day there is a constant desire to fall asleep, and after a daytime sleep (as well as after a nighttime sleep), the patient feels weakness, lethargy, apathy.
• Mental illnesses (neurosis, schizophrenia).
• Some diseases of internal organs (kidneys, heart, thyroid).
• Damage to areas of the brain after traumatic brain injury.

There are a number of other reasons that can cause pathological hypersomnia . In any case, the correct diagnosis can be made by a specialized doctor, after which he prescribes drug therapy.

Reasons why pregnant women constantly want to sleep

Pregnancy is a special period in a woman’s life, during which she experiences not only unusual emotions, but also significant physiological changes. One of them is the desire to sleep longer in the morning. This is especially true during the first three months of pregnancy. Why does drowsiness appear? Is it good for pregnant women to sleep a lot?

There are three main causes of physiological hyperesomnia in pregnant women:

• The body goes into energy saving mode. In the first three months of pregnancy, the body experiences a global reorganization, the purpose of which is to provide the necessary conditions for the formation and growth of the fetus. This process takes away the lion’s share of a woman’s energy resources. Therefore, in order to save energy, the nervous system “offers” the expectant mother to sleep longer.
• The hormonal background is changing. This process is characterized by a decrease in the number of female hormones and an increase in progesterone, which helps to maintain pregnancy.
• Frequent interruption of sleep at night due to toxicosis, going to the toilet, pain in the legs, etc.

The conclusion from all of the above is the following: sleeping a lot during pregnancy is not only useful, but also necessary.

Ways to normalize sleep

The main reason why the body needs more time than it should be to recover at night is the poor quality of sleep. There are a number of activities that will help improve sleep:

• Development and observance of the daily routine. Go to bed early, get up early in the morning too. Do it at the same time.
• Take a warm bath before going to bed with soothing music. Refuse to watch TV programs, travel on the Internet, computer games in the evening. The best thing to do is read a book.
• Leading an active lifestyle. Charging in the morning (preferably with a jog), yoga before bed.
• Serious matters that may be accompanied by stress should be planned only for the first half of the day.
• Proper nutrition. You can not have a tight dinner before bedtime, especially if the menu contains fatty, smoked, spicy. Going to bed hungry is also not worth it, you can eat some vegetables, dairy products. In the evening, you can not drink a lot of liquid so that you do not have to get up at night to use the toilet. Do not drink coffee or tea before bed.
• Refuse to drink alcohol in the evening. The relaxing effect of alcoholic beverages is a myth.
• Control sleep conditions. Ventilate the bedroom, monitor the humidity in the room, buy orthopedic bedding.

Following these simple steps will help you get a good night’s rest, spending about eight hours on it, which is in line with the norm.