Need Excessive Sleep?

serenityfrye

Does anyone else feel like they need an excessive amount of sleep? During the school year when I'm getting up at 5:45 am to get my kids ready and take them to school I feel like I'm chronically exhausted even though I'm getting nearly 8 hours of sleep a night. Like fighting not to fall asleep driving home if I didn't nap that day kind of tired. Which leaves zero room for working out because that just makes it worse. In the summers when I can sleep until 8 (or later) and get 10+ hours of sleep I have a ton of energy. I know my best sleep cycle happens from 6-8am, so I recognize that I'm missing my most restful sleep - but still, 10 hours seems like a crazy amount of sleep to need in order to function. I eat pretty well and try to stay active when I'm not totally exhausted, but the school year schedule is just killing me (and it's getting worse as I get older). My oldest son also seems to have this problem. We're both ADHD and I know sleep issues and delayed sleep phases can come along with that, but I don't really know what to do about it - it's not like we can withdraw from society in order to sleep when we need to. Anyone else been here? Thoughts?

COGypsy

Can you schedule a catch up day sometime during the week? I feel like this a lot since I had COVID and usually have a day on the weekend where I don’t schedule anything and can just sleep. That lets me get at least 13-14 hours and be kind of ready to stagger through another week.

AnnPT77

Have you ever had a sleep study? Could there be a sleep quality issue? Those can be quite subtle.

The Covid recovery cycle seems (anecdotally) to be like that for many people, even if they don't feel like they have official "long Covid".

Highmtnlady68

I was sleeping a lot and taking naps. I found out I had sleep apnea. I have a C-Pap machine that helps me get more oxygen while I sleep. It makes a big difference in how I feel more energetic and I don’t need to nap.

sbelletti

Some people need more sleep than others. Some people are early risers and others are night owls. Some wake up immediately and others prefer to ease into their day.

Unless your habits and preferences have changed recently, it's quite possible that's just how your body functions.

serenityfrye

Well today the body aches, headache and lack of appetite hit so apparently this week I'm just sick *sigh* but yes I do think I just need more sleep in general which is not so conducive to functioning in the real world. Also started my multivitamin again as I tend to run low on D and B vitamins and hadn't remembered to take it in a while. Fingers crossed.

Fuzzipeg

Vitamin D and B complex are usually a great help for many. More has been learned about vit d, it seems it has so many uses one being within the immune system.

I'm wondering, been reading about sleep quality. Much I've come across recently is saying many of us are not making enough of our breathing, we are not using our lung capacity as we should. We do not use the deeper parts of our lungs making use only of the upper tract, breathing is faster than ideal which makes it more shallow. I can't remember the exerciser made for athletes, its supposed to improve the "fitness" of lung muscles, the idea is ones physical achievements are improved as well as often improvement in sleep is seen.

Its just struck me, might you have the seasonal affected disorder, vit d might address that in part, its often the short, dark days throws our systems off come the longer days of summer, we become happier. I've noticed driving before 8-00am and after 4-30 pm takes much more concentration, its tiring.

All the very best, hope you get over your present bout of illness very soon.

magster4isu

I have an Oura ring to track my sleep patterns and I have spend a lot of time looking at the data and experimenting. I am not a very efficient sleeper. When I first starting tracking, if I wanted 7 hours of quality sleep, I would need to be in bed "sleeping" for 9+ hours. One thing that I learned is that what I do (and what I eat/drink) up to 2 hours before I go to bed makes a HUGE difference with how efficient my sleep will be that night. I have also changed my sleep environment. Absolutely no electronics are allowed in my bedroom. I still have a few things to figure out, but right now I'm getting some of the best sleep that I've ever had.

serenityfrye

Yes, definitely struggle with S.A.D. I also noticed that I breathe very shallowly at night. Probably need a bite guard with tongue position-er as that makes a huge difference in how deeply I breathe at night. Probably time to look into. Good point!

Antiopelle

I need a lot of sleep as well, has been like this since I was a teenager and still is like that now at 53.
I usually go to sleep at 09h15 - 09h45, and without clock, I'll wake up after 7h00. It is since the lockdowns in 2020 and mandatory work from home that I realized I was chronically fatigued, as I had to get up at 06h00 for a long commute. I don't skip social activities or sports, but I did cut back on TV and completely went off social media (save MFP). According to statistics, that saves me 3 hours a day.

1BlueAurora

It sounds like you just don't get to sleep the hours your body prefers. For me, this would mean a trip to my doctor to discuss whether my ADHD and/or ADHD medication is disrupting my sleep cycles enough to make it difficult to benefit from the sleep I do get. I take a medication that has changed the hours I sleep restfully. A trip to the doctor resulted in a change in medication that has helped me tremendously. I no longer feel like I have to have an afternoon nap just to function!

penguinmama87

I am glad to see the seasons get mentioned; I usually have very good sleep hygiene and I still seem to need to sleep more in the dark, cold months than I do in the light, warm months. To me this seems "normal" and not disordered as long as I'm not excessively blue. I just moderate my expectations a little for myself and my family schedule, since we all seem to be similarly afflicted.

Is your nighttime sleep ever interrupted? Even if I've lain in bed for eight hours (or more if I can get it!) there's still kids who might wake up even if older, or bathroom visits (not inevitable but a common and treatable issue for women who've given birth), light or noise or traffic outside, etc. These things can definitely affect my sleep quality too.