Sleeping 12+ hours

I’ve always had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, but have never felt so tired during day I couldn’t keep my eyes open or felt the need to nap. Usually, if I had napped, I would not have slept at night.

In the past 8 months, I’ve been sleeping 8pm to 630am in addition to 2 hour, sometimes 4 hour naps. I feel good when I wake up, refreshed! If I go to bed around 930/1030, I feel awful, tired and have a headache. Even with the naps, I’m usually able to fall asleep.

I’m in my last 20s (f). I have gained about 40lbs and am in an intense academic program. People tell me this is likely why I’m sleeping so much, but I’m still worried. It doesn’t seem normal and I can’t get much done except school and sleep.

Hi Mariam,

We always say that the recommended 7-9 hours is an average, so there will be people that fall outside of that recommended range. That said, if you’re concerned, it may be worth a trip to your doctor to rule out any medical issue. You can read more about this here: Causes and Effects of Oversleeping | Sleep Foundation