Do you have trouble falling asleep at night, and it's almost impossible to wake up in the morning? Oversleeping is often the result of a lack of sleep or a restless night's sleep routine. Oversleeping can cause problems such as being late for work or school, being sleepy all day, and not being able to get a good quality night's sleep on a regular basis.
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Method 1 of 4: Changing Your Morning Routine
Step 1. Avoid pressing the snooze button on the alarm
While it may be tempting to get another five minutes of sleep in the morning, pressing the snooze button on your alarm actually makes you even more tired. When you press the snooze button, your brain goes deeper and deeper into the sleep cycle. After pressing the snooze button a few more times, you'll feel giddy and more tired than if you woke up immediately when the alarm went off.
If possible, choose an alarm without a snooze button'. Or disable the snooze feature in an existing alarm setting
Step 2. Place the alarm clock away from the bed
Instead of placing your alarm clock near your bed, where you can easily press the snooze button or turn it off, try placing it somewhere where you need to get out of bed. That way, you'll be forced to get out of bed in the morning and go find the alarm to turn it off.
For example, try placing an alarm clock in a cupboard across from the room. Or, as long as the sound is still audible, you can place the watch in the next room or bathroom
Step 3. Purchase an alarm clock that emits a gradual glow
This alarm clock emits a light that gets brighter as it gets closer to waking time. This light helps you wake up slowly and hopefully, easily, without startling your body with a sudden alarm. An alarm clock equipped with this kind of light is also good when the night is longer than the day so that the morning is darker and it is difficult to get out of bed.
You can buy an alarm clock that has an instillation of light at your local drugstore or online
Step 4. Make your morning routine positive and consistent
Stretch and wake up, open the curtains and let the morning sun in. Live the morning as a positive experience and commit to facing your day with gusto.
Maybe you should start your dress and breakfast routine at a certain time. While getting ready, plan your schedule and tasks or appointments to keep for the day
Step 5. Try to wake up without the help of an alarm
If you stick to a consistent sleep schedule and are able to maintain a regular sleep pattern, you're more likely to wake up on your own, without the help of an alarm and without oversleeping.
If you go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning, your body is hard-wired to get used to a regular sleep schedule. Over time, the body will have its own alarm clock. That way, you'll be able to wake yourself up at the same time, every day
Method 2 of 4: Regulating Sleep Habits
Step 1. Establish a regular sleep schedule
Create a sleep schedule that requires you to get up and go to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends or holidays. Everyone's sleep needs vary, but in general, you need between seven and nine hours of sleep to perform at your best throughout the day. However, some people need at least ten hours.
- Teenagers usually need more sleep than adults. A teenager's body needs plenty of rest in order to have a chance to grow during adolescence.
- Some people need more sleep than others. Very few people stay energized with just six hours of sleep at night. Respect this difference; a person who needs more sleep doesn't necessarily mean he's lazy or a bad person.
- Some people think that reducing their sleep by just one hour will not really affect their daily performance. Others believe that reduced sleep can be made up for on weekends or holidays. If it's done occasionally, it's probably fine. But if this happens often, your regular sleep schedule will fall apart, resulting in oversleeping or feeling very tired when you wake up.
- The claim that the human body can adjust quickly to different sleep schedules is just a myth. While most people can reset their biological clock, this can only be done with timed signals, and even then only accommodates a maximum difference of one or two hours per day. The body's internal clock takes more than a week to adjust when traveling across multiple time zones or to shift to a night shift. However, some people adjust more easily than others.
- Increasing sleep at night cannot cure the fatigue you feel during the day. The amount of sleep each night is important, but the quality of sleep is even more important. You may get eight or nine hours of sleep each night but your body doesn't feel well rested if your sleep quality is poor.
Step 2. Turn off all electronic equipment and get rid of all distractions a few hours before bedtime
Turn off the television, smart cell phone, iPad, and computer or if necessary place all electronic equipment outside the room. This type of light emitted by electronic screens can stimulate the brain, suppress the production of melatonin (which helps you sleep), and affect the body's internal clock.
Another option is to shut down the computer using a schedule. That way, the machine will turn off automatically and prevent you from working at the computer until late at night or too close to bedtime. There is a “sleep” feature on either PC or Mac that you can enable. If you want to set your computer up for use in the morning, as soon as you wake up, you can also schedule a startup time
Step 3. Set an alarm to remind you that it is time for bed
If you tend to be preoccupied with activities or conversations at night and forget to stick to a bedtime schedule, you can set an alarm on your cell phone or computer to remind you 1 hour or 30 minutes before bedtime.
If you prefer to turn off all electronics a few hours before going to bed, you can use the alarm on your watch or ask the person you live with to remind you of bedtime an hour before the appointed time
Step 4. Before going to bed, do activities that relax you, for example, take a warm bath, read a good book, or have a casual chat with your partner
A hobby or activity that relaxes you can also be an excellent choice. Doing a relaxing activity will help trigger the brain to begin to relax and lower its activity.
- Playing games on a computer or smartphone is not a good activity - your body is calm, but your mind may be overexcited and the light emitted by the screen triggers the mind to stay awake.
- So is the television: it triggers a “wake up” signal in the brain.
- If you find yourself just rolling back and forth in bed in the dark, don't stay there any longer. Instead, get up and do something relaxing to take your mind off your sleeplessness. Feeling anxious about not being able to sleep, and dwelling on it will only make you more unable to sleep.
- Again, do not turn on the television, gaming device, computer, or other electronic equipment.
- Try doing something like reading, doing the dishes, knitting, doing the laundry, making origami, or something like that.
Step 5. Make the atmosphere of the room dark, cool and calm
Install heavy curtains or shutters to block out the window light. Cover all electronic screens, such as televisions or computers so that light does not shine in the room. Wearing an eye patch can also help you sleep.
- A cool room temperature while sleeping will actually help you get a better night's sleep. A drop in body temperature, due to a cold sleeping environment, can trigger a “let's go to bed” tendency in the body and help get proper sleep.
- If you're having trouble falling asleep due to loud noises outside the window or your partner's snoring, consider buying good quality earplugs, or a noise machine.
Step 6. Get up at the same time as the sun
You can also set a timer that lets bright light enter the room in the morning at the same time every day. Sunlight helps the body's internal clock reset itself every day. This will also help you avoid oversleeping, as the sun will wake you up.
Sleep experts recommend an hour of morning sun exposure for people who have trouble sleeping
Method 3 of 4: Adjusting Daily Habits
Step 1. Avoid consuming caffeine four to six hours before bedtime
About half of the caffeine consumed at 19:00 will still be left in the body until 23:00. Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet medications, and some pain medications. Limit the number of cups of coffee you drink a few hours before bed, or if necessary try to eliminate caffeine from your diet.
Alcohol also inhibits deep sleep and REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep). Alcohol puts you into a light sleep phase, which causes you to wake up easily and have difficulty getting back to sleep. Avoid drinking alcohol one to two hours before bedtime to ensure you get good quality sleep and don't oversleep in the morning
Step 2. Don't take a nap after 3 PM
The best time for a nap is usually mid-afternoon, before 3pm. During this time you are more likely to develop daytime sleepiness or a lower level of alertness. Napping before 3pm will not affect the quality of your night's sleep.
Try to take short naps, between 10-30 minutes. This will prevent sleep inertia, which is when you feel dizzy and confused after waking up from a nap that lasts longer than 30 minutes. Short naps also prevent you from oversleeping the next morning, because naps of under 30 minutes won't interfere with your nightly sleep schedule
Step 3. Start writing a sleep journal
A sleep journal or sleep diary can be a helpful tool to identify any habits that might be keeping you up at night and causing you to wake up late the next morning. You may also be able to find out if you have symptoms of a sleep disorder. Record the following information in your sleep journal:
- What time do you sleep and wake up.
- Total number of hours of sleep and quality of sleep.
- How long were you awake and what did you do. For example: “lying in bed with eyes closed”, “counting sheep”, “reading a book”.
- The type of food and drink consumed before bedtime and how much food and drink was consumed.
- Your feelings and moods before bed, such as “happy”, “stressed”, “anxious”.
- How long does it take to wake up in the morning, and how often you press the “snooze” button on the alarm.
- Any medicines you are taking, such as sleeping pills, including the dosage and when to take them.
- Watch for any triggers that have a repeating pattern in a sleep journal and see if there are ways to prevent or limit these triggers. For example, maybe you often have trouble sleeping well on Fridays after drinking two beers. Try not to drink at all the following Friday and see if this improves your sleep.
Step 4. Take sleeping pills only when absolutely necessary
When you take sleeping pills for short periods of time, and based on your doctor's recommendations, sleeping pills can help you sleep. But the use of drugs is only a temporary solution. In fact, sleeping pills can often cause insomnia and other sleep disorders that are worse in the long run.
- Use sleeping pills and other medications sparingly and only for short-term situations, such as if you are traveling across multiple time zones or while recovering from a medical procedure.
- Using sleeping pills only when needed instead of every day will also prevent you from depending on medication to help you sleep each night.
Step 5. Be careful with over-the-counter medications that can cause trouble sleeping and other sleep problems
Many of the side effects of these drugs can have a detrimental effect on sleep patterns and levels of daytime alertness. Common medications that can interfere with sleep include:
- Nasal decongestants.
- Aspirin and other headache medications.
- Painkillers containing caffeine.
- Cold and allergy medicine containing antihistamines.
- If you are taking one of these medicines, try reducing the dose. Or look for alternative methods of treating these problems so that you can stop using these over-the-counter medications.
Method 4 of 4: Talking to the Doctor
Step 1. Visit a doctor to discuss this problem of oversleeping
Your doctor should know if you have chronic sleep problems. This is a serious problem. If you continue to oversleep throughout the week, you may develop headaches or backaches. Oversleeping affects nerve neurotransmitters in the brain and causes headaches. Back pain can arise from sleeping on a regular mattress for a long period of time.
In addition there are psychological side effects of oversleeping, including depression, anxiety and drowsiness. Doctors can treat these side effects by suggesting adjustments to their sleep habits, daily habits, or by prescribing certain medications
Step 2. Get tested for sleep disturbances
Many medical conditions and disorders can interfere with sleep. Tell your doctor about any specific symptoms or patterns in your sleep problems. If you can't get up in the morning because of oversleeping, have trouble staying awake when sitting still, fall asleep while driving, and need caffeine every day to stay awake, you may have a sleep disorder. There are four main types of sleep disorders:
- Insomnia: The most common sleep complaint and the leading cause of oversleeping. Insomnia is often a symptom of another problem, such as stress, anxiety, depression, or another health condition. Difficulty sleeping can also be caused by lifestyle choices, such as the drugs you take, lack of exercise, tiredness of flying, or caffeine intake.
- Sleep apnea: This occurs when your breathing stops temporarily during sleep due to a blockage in your upper airway. This pause in breathing disrupts sleep, causing you to wake up frequently throughout the night. Sleep apnea is a serious, and potentially life-threatening, sleep disorder. If you experience this disorder, it is important to talk to your doctor for a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. This machine channels airflow into the airway during sleep and can deal with disturbances well.
- Restless leg syndrome (RSL): RSL is a sleep disorder caused by an irresistible urge to move the arms and legs. This urge usually occurs when you lie down and results from an uncomfortable, tingling sensation in the arms and legs.
- Narcolepsy: This sleep disorder often involves excessive and uncontrollable sleepiness. This disorder is caused by mechanisms in the brain that control sleep and wakefulness. If you have narcolepsy, you may experience "sleep attacks," which are situations where you fall asleep while talking, working, or even driving.
Step 3. Discuss with your doctor about the possibility of visiting a sleep center (sleep clinic)
If your doctor refers you to a sleep disorder center, an expert will observe your sleep patterns, brain waves, heart rate, and REM using a monitoring machine that is connected to the body. A sleep specialist will analyze the results of your sleep research and design a treatment program tailored to your needs.
