There are many factors to consider when trying to find a restful balance between oversleeping and undersleeping. Oversleeping has many advantages over undersleeping in terms of health. When we are asleep, we often imagine that our bodies are doing nothing, but that is when our internal organs are actually most busy getting ready for what we will do the next day.

Through our limited sleeping hours, without realising it, we sometimes deprive our bodies of the much-needed rest that they require to function optimally. Sleeping less during weekdays and more during weekends is okay; however, it should only last a short while and should not be a long-term practice if this is the case. A good example is as a student, during exam time, you will typically need more time for studying and therefore sleepless, which means you will make up for the lack of sleep during the weekend. 

Continue reading to find out the answers to questions like “is oversleeping bad?” or “is undersleeping a bigger issue to ensure you get the quality rest that you need moving forward?”

 

Oversleeping

The oversleeping phase should generally remain temporary, much like the temporary undersleeping phase. In most situations, oversleeping is believed to be better than undersleeping; however, you may become lethargic and unproductive if you sleep too much. The less you do, the less you will want to do. An ideal sleeping time for most adults is approximately 8 hours, give or take one hour either way. Only once you have had a thorough health analysis can the specific duration of sleep that an individual needs be accurately determined. This individual number will depend on the age, general health, work schedule, stress level, and level of activity of the individual in question. 

Hypersomnia is a chronic oversleeping habit that causes patients to nap a lot during the day. Regardless of how much they sleep or slumber during the night, they just can’t seem to get enough relief from the feeling of exhaustion they are constantly dealing with. In contrast, a study conducted by the Women’s Hospital in Boston discovered that women who slept 9-11 hours per night were 38% more likely to develop coronary heart disease compared with women who slept only eight hours per night.

 

Undersleeping

Sleeping too little is worse than sleeping too much as it can, in fact, be fatal to not get enough sleep. Since a person with irregular sleeping patterns or schedules does not get adequate rest for their brain and body, they are at a higher risk of death than those who get sufficient sleep.

Undersleeping can also cause fatigue and could be dangerous if you drive for long periods at a time as this could lead to accidents on the roads that pose an entirely new threat to your safety, health and well-being. There are many other health risks that could be caused by under-sleep, such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, depression and headaches.

 

Finding The Correct Restful Balance For Optimal Health

Without enough sleep, your alertness and attention span, which gives you the ability to take in knowledge, is greatly reduced. All that learning and knowledge which you do and take in during the day are turned into memories while you are asleep. Enough sleep each night is extremely important to remain mentally strong. There are many factors to consider when balancing your sleeping patterns and determining whether you are getting enough or too little sleep. Your daily activities will play a huge role in your decision on how to balance your sleeping schedule, and the optimum solution will differ from one person to the next. However, with the right approach and paying attention to how you sleep, you can ensure that you get the quality sleep you need moving forward to stay healthy. 

Published on Holr Magazine