We’ve all had days where we hit snooze a few too many times or crash hard after a long week. But if you’re regularly sleeping nine hours or more and still waking up groggy, it’s worth asking: “Why am I sleeping so much?”

It might seem like more sleep should equal more energy—but that’s not always how it works. Sometimes, oversleeping is your body’s way of asking for help. From poor sleep quality and stress to deeper health issues, there’s often more to the story than just needing extra rest.

Most adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to feel and function at their best, yet sleeping beyond that range on a regular basis has been linked to greater risks for some health conditions. So how much sleep is too much—and when should it be a concern?

What’s Considered Too Much Sleep?

Sleep needs vary depending on your age, lifestyle, and overall health—but for most adults, the sweet spot is around 7 to 9 hours per night. So if you’re consistently clocking more than 9 or 10 hours and still feeling tired, it could be a sign of an underlying issue.

Oversleeping—also known as hypersomnia—doesn’t just mean you enjoy your bed a little too much. It can include sleeping long hours at night, taking frequent daytime naps, or struggling to stay awake even after a full night’s rest. While occasional oversleeping isn’t necessarily a red flag, persistent excessive sleepiness can suggest that your body isn’t cycling through the deep, rejuvenating stages of sleep as it should.

“Bed rotting”—the viral trend of staying in bed for hours on end—can sometimes serve as a mental health reset. But when it becomes a daily habit, it might signal something deeper, like chronic fatigue, poor sleep quality, or emotional burnout. Understanding what’s behind it is the first step toward finding the right solution.

How Much Sleep Do You Actually Need?

If you’re wondering whether you’re oversleeping—or simply meeting your body’s needs—this sleep guide can help you find the right target. Sleep requirements naturally change as we age, and what’s “too much” for one person may be perfectly normal for another.

Think of this as a general framework, not a one-size-fits-all rule. You might need slightly more or less depending on your health, activity level, and stress.

Based on recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation, here’s how much sleep most people need at each stage of life:

  • Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
  • Infants (4–11 months): 12–15 hours
  • Toddlers (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
  • Preschoolers (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
  • School-age children (6–13 years): 9–11 hours
  • Teenagers (14–17 years): 8–10 hours
  • Adults (18–64 years): 7–9 hours

If you’re regularly sleeping well beyond the recommended range for your age and still feel tired, it might not just be about how long you’re sleeping—but what’s happening before and during your sleep.

Common Causes of Oversleeping

If you find yourself sleeping more than usual and still feeling tired, you’re not imagining things—there are real reasons why your body might be craving extra rest. From disrupted sleep cycles to mental health and medical conditions, several factors could be at play. Identifying the root cause is key to improving how you feel during the day.

1. Sleep Disorders

Disrupted sleep from conditions like sleep apnea and narcolepsy can lead to fragmented rest and leave you feeling like you need more hours, even after a full night of sleep. These conditions often result in poor-quality rest that your body tries to compensate for by sleeping longer.

2. Mental Health Conditions

Depression and anxiety can both contribute to oversleeping, especially in teens and young adults. Around 15% of people with depression experience hypersomnia, often sleeping longer yet still feeling unrefreshed.

This happens because mental health conditions can disrupt the brain’s regulation of sleep-wake cycles, leading to low energy, fatigue, and altered circadian rhythms. Depression can make it difficult to get out of bed, while anxiety may lead to sleep that’s light or fragmented—both of which leave you feeling tired, even after a full night’s rest.

 

3. Medications and Substance Use

Some medications—like antidepressants, antihistamines, and antipsychotics—can cause drowsiness and disrupt your natural sleep cycle, leading to oversleeping.

Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it interferes with REM sleep, often leaving you tired despite sleeping longer. Recreational drugs and certain supplements can have similar effects.

If your sleep habits changed after starting a new medication or substance, it’s worth discussing with your doctor.

4. Neurological Conditions

Oversleeping can sometimes stem from neurological conditions like idiopathic hypersomnia, a rare disorder where the brain struggles to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. People with this condition may sleep 10 hours or more, yet still feel foggy, disoriented, and unrefreshed upon waking.

Unlike narcolepsy, which involves sudden sleep attacks, idiopathic hypersomnia causes persistent, uncontrollable sleepiness throughout the day—even after long nights of sleep or daytime naps. The condition can significantly impact daily life and often requires a sleep study for diagnosis.

5. Lifestyle Factors

Oversleeping isn’t always due to medical conditions; often, it’s influenced by daily habits and lifestyle choices. Irregular sleep schedules, lack of physical activity, and poor sleep hygiene can disrupt the body’s internal clock, leading to excessive sleepiness.​

  • Irregular Sleep Patterns: Inconsistent bedtimes and wake-up times can confuse your circadian rhythm, making it harder to maintain a healthy sleep cycle.
  • Lack of Physical Activity: A sedentary lifestyle can lead to lower energy levels, prompting the body to seek more sleep in an attempt to recover.
  • Poor Sleep Environment: Exposure to screens before bedtime, excessive noise, or an uncomfortable sleeping environment can reduce sleep quality, leading to longer sleep durations as the body tries to compensate. ​
  • Dietary Habits: Consuming caffeine or heavy meals close to bedtime can interfere with sleep quality, causing disruptions that may lead to oversleeping. ​

Addressing these lifestyle factors by establishing a consistent sleep schedule, engaging in regular physical activity, and creating a conducive sleep environment can help regulate sleep patterns and reduce the tendency to oversleep.

oversleeping

When to Seek Medical Help

Sleeping in every now and then doesn’t usually raise alarms—but when extra hours in bed start to feel less like rest and more like a requirement just to function, it’s worth paying attention.

If you’re sleeping longer than usual and still struggling with low energy, brain fog, or mood changes, your body could be signaling that something deeper is going on. Oversleeping might feel like a response to tiredness, but in many cases, it’s actually a symptom—not the solution.

Red Flags That Shouldn’t Be Ignored

You may want to speak to your doctor if you’re noticing any of the following:

  • You sleep more than 9 hours most nights and still wake up feeling tired
  • You struggle to stay awake during the day or often nap unintentionally
  • You wake up with headaches, experience low energy, or feel mentally foggy
  • Your sleepiness is accompanied by mood swings, anxiety, or depression
  • You’ve noticed recent weight gain, memory issues, or poor concentration

These symptoms could point to conditions like sleep apnea, depression, idiopathic hypersomnia, or other medical issues that affect your sleep-wake cycle.

What You Can Do

If your sleep habits are affecting your daily life, here are a few steps to take:

Track your sleep – Keep a simple log of when you go to bed, wake up, and how you feel each day. Noticing patterns can help you and your doctor spot what’s going wrong.

Speak with a provider – Bring up your concerns during your next check-up. You may be referred for further evaluation.

Get a sleep study – A formal sleep study can help diagnose sleep apnea, insomnia, hypersomnia, or other conditions impacting your rest. If you’re waking up tired no matter how long you sleep, this can be a game-changer. 

When More Sleep Isn’t Helping

Getting extra sleep every now and then is perfectly normal, but when it becomes a daily need just to function, it may be your body’s way of saying something isn’t right. Oversleeping isn’t always the issue itself—it’s often a symptom of something deeper, like poor sleep quality, a hidden sleep disorder, or a health condition affecting your rest.

If you’re consistently sleeping longer than recommended and still waking up groggy, unmotivated, or mentally foggy, don’t brush it off. Real, restorative sleep should leave you feeling alert and energized, not drained.

At Clayton Sleep Institute, we help patients uncover the why behind their sleep struggles. Whether it’s hypersomnia, sleep apnea, insomnia, or another condition, our team uses advanced diagnostics and customized treatment plans to help you reclaim the restful sleep your body needs.

📞 It’s time to stop guessing and start sleeping better. Ask your doctor for a referral or call Clayton Sleep Institute at 314-645-5855 to schedule a consultation.

Resources:

Cleveland Clinic. (2023). What you should know about the relationship between oversleeping and depression. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-you-should-know-about-the-relationship-between-oversleeping-and-depression

Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Oversleeping: Bad for your health? https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/oversleeping-bad-for-your-health

Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Hypersomnia: Symptoms and causes. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypersomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20362332

WebMD. (n.d.). Medications that affect sleep. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/medications-that-affect-sleep

Balance App. (n.d.). Oversleeping: What it means and what to do about it. https://balanceapp.com/blog/oversleeping

Sleep Psychiatrist. (n.d.). Everything you need to know about oversleeping. https://sleeppsychiatrist.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-oversleeping

Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). How much sleep do you need by age? Included within: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/oversleeping-bad-for-your-health

American Diabetes Association. (2023). Sleep duration and risks of incident type 2 diabetes. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/46/1/101/147933/Sleep-Duration-and-Risks-of-Incident