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0Is oversleeping bad for you?
You're no doubt familiar with what it feels like to be extremely tired after a long sleep. It's a little like a hangover, really, sluggishness, irritability, perhaps a slight headache too, and there's actually a term for those sensations, sleep drunkenness.
According to the sleep foundation, the average adult needs between 7 and 9 hours sleep per night, but optimal sleep duration is unique for each of us. It can vary due to factors like genetics, age, and lifestyle habits.
So bear in mind if people call you a heavy sleeper because you sleep 9 hours every night, that doesn't necessarily mean you're oversleeping. It could just be that's the duration you need.
How do we distinguish between the 2 then?
Oversleeping disturbs our circadian rhythm, which is regulated by a group of 1000s of neurons located in the hypothalamus of the brain. When you keep on sleeping longer than needed, your cells have already begun to send chemical signals to awaken your cognitive and physical functions. That's what leads to daytime drowsiness.
When we're experiencing an excessive need for sleep, daytime sleepiness or chronic exhaustion, we talk about hypersomnia, most often it's caused by a lack of sleep, in which case it's referred to as reactive hypersomnia.
It can also be linked to pathologies such as sleep apnea, or much more rarely narcolepsy, which is characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks and extreme drowsiness. It can also be associated with Parkinson's disease and depression.
Apart from those specific cases, does oversleeping have any other health consequences?
Sleeping for a long time isn't dangerous as such. But if you sleep more than 10 hours per night and still don't feel rested, it's fair to say your sleep is ineffective, you should book an appointment with your GP to discuss it.
A 2020 Harvard Medical School study suggested that in the long term, obviously, sleeping can lead to memory problems, and increase the risk of developing heart problems, type 2 diabetes and depression. That's also true for people who don't get enough sleep. There you have it.
词汇表
hangover [ˈhæŋəʊvə(r)] n. 宿醉（饮酒过量后的不适反应）
sluggishness [ˈslʌɡɪʃnəs] n. 迟缓，呆滞，昏沉
irritability [ˌɪrɪtəˈbɪləti] n. 易怒，烦躁
sleep drunkenness [ˈdrʌŋkənnəs] 睡醉（睡太久醒来后的昏沉状态）
optimal sleep duration [ˈɒptɪməl sliːp djʊˈreɪʃn] 最佳睡眠时长
genetics [dʒəˈnetɪks] n. 遗传学，遗传特征
heavy sleeper 嗜睡者，酣睡者，睡得沉的人
oversleep [ˌəʊvəˈsliːp] vi. 睡过头，睡得太久
circadian rhythm [sɜːˈkeɪdiən] 昼夜节律，生物钟
neuron [ˈnjʊərɒn] n. 神经元，神经细胞
hypothalamus [ˌhaɪpəˈθæləməs] n. 下丘脑（大脑中调节体温、饥饿、睡眠等的区域）
drowsiness [ˈdraʊzinəs] n. 困倦，睡意，嗜睡
hypersomnia [ˌhaɪpəˈsɒmniə] n. 嗜睡症，睡眠过度
reactive hypersomnia [riˈæktɪv ˌhaɪpəˈsɒmniə] 反应性嗜睡症（由睡眠不足引起的过度嗜睡）
pathology [pəˈθɒlədʒi] n. 病理学，病状
sleep apnea [ˈæpniə] 睡眠呼吸暂停（睡眠时呼吸反复停止的病症）
narcolepsy [ˈnɑːkəlepsi] 发作性睡病，嗜睡症（一种无法控制的突发性睡眠障碍）
Parkinson's disease [ˈpɑːkɪnsənz dɪˈziːz] 帕金森病（神经系统退行性疾病）
GP 全科医生（General Practitioner）
type 2 diabetes [ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz] 2型糖尿病
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