I sleep 15 hours is it normal

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Skip to main content. Home Sleep. Sleep - hypersomnia. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Characteristics of hypersomnia Symptoms of hypersomnia Causes of hypersomnia Sleep disorders Diagnosis and treatment of hypersomnia Self-help strategies Where to get help Things to remember. Hypersomnia means excessive sleepiness. There are many different causes, the most common in our society being inadequate sleep. This may be due to shiftwork, family demands such as a new baby , study or social life.

Other causes include sleep disorders, medication, and medical and psychiatric illnesses. Hypersomnia can be helped or cured with a few adjustments to lifestyle habits.

Seek advice from your doctor or sleep disorder clinic if you still feel excessively sleepy. Characteristics of hypersomnia The characteristics of hypersomnia vary from one person to the next, depending on their age, lifestyle and any underlying causes. In extreme cases, a person with hypersomnia might sleep soundly at night for 12 hours or more, but still feel the need to nap during the day. Sleeping and napping may not help, and the mind may remain foggy with drowsiness. It is possible that a person with hypersomnia may have very disturbed sleep but not be aware of it.

Causes of hypersomnia Excessive daytime sleepiness can be caused by a wide range of events and conditions, including: Insufficient or inadequate sleep — long working hours and overtime can be tolerated for months or years before the symptoms of sleepiness take effect.

Teenagers who stay out until the early hours of the morning on weekends may be tired during the week. Environmental factors — broken sleep can be caused by a variety of things such as a snoring partner, a baby that wakes, noisy neighbours, heat and cold, or sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress.

Shiftwork — it is very difficult to get good sleep while working shiftwork, especially night shift. Mental states — anxiety can keep a person awake at night, which makes them prone to sleepiness during the day. Depression saps energy. Medications — such as alcohol, caffeinated drinks, tranquillisers, sleeping pills and antihistamines can disrupt sleeping patterns. Hypersomnia is the clinical term for excessive sleepiness and excessive sleeping. The condition is marked by excessive daytime sleepiness or an above-average amount of time sleeping usually way beyond the recommended hours.

Many with hypersomnia can fall asleep anywhere or at any time which is a bit awkward at work but a lot more troublesome while driving.

Yet not all instances of excessive sleepiness are cause for worry. Occasional feelings of exhaustion leading to a night or two of excessive sleep are commonplace.

Yet, if the feelings of exhaustion are interfering with the quality of your life, you should consider making specific lifestyle changes, or getting tested for certain sleep disorders. Hypersomnia poses serious health risks and is linked to several medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and death.

Some may not be cause for concern and represent temporary sleep behavior alterations, others are more serious. People with hypersomnia suffer from extreme sleepiness during the day , and unusually long periods of sleep during the night.

However, a range of factors can cause excessive sleepiness. View ten reasons why you could be sleeping too much:. You could suffer from narcolepsy or sleep apnea. Sleep apnea OSA is especially common and if you have undiagnosed OSA you experience airway blockages which cause repeated interruptions to your sleep throughout the night. There could be a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. Some sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea and hypoventilation syndrome, are associated with clinically relevant autonomic dysfunctions involving cardiovascular and respiratory control.

Drinking alcohol blocks REM sleep, which is the period when your body restores itself. Ongoing use has many health repercussions, including poor quality of sleep. A change in work schedule, a new responsibility after school, or a recent issue with a relationship gives adults and young adults reason to miss winks or sleep poorly.

Tip 4: Track your sleep: If you want to get insights into your sleep, use a sleep diary to track your wake-up time and bedtime, or try a sleep tracker like SleepScore or SleepScore Max.

Make sure to note any lifestyle variables, too, like drinking alcohol or going for a longer run than usual. By changing your lifestyle, sleep habits or working in tandem with your doctor, you can enjoy a more restful and timely sleep. Feel More Energy.

By: SleepScore Labs July 30th, Beyond Sleep Tracking. Start your sleep improvement journey tonight.