I Just Feel Like Sleeping: Possible Causes, And What To Do
It is normal to feel tired sometimes. After working hard all day, taking care of children or studying for final exams, the body becomes tired and needs a good restful sleep.
Sleeping is one of the best cures, since it helps regenerate the body, calms the mind and body and allows you to disconnect for a few hours. However, the desire to sleep can be a problem if experienced throughout the day over several weeks. They can be an indicator that something is not going as it should and it is necessary to see what is happening.
For this reason, there are many people who consider this a warning sign and ask themselves a typical question with which they often go to the psychologist’s office: Why do I only feel like sleeping? Let’s see what the causes behind this desire to rest taken to an extreme may be, in addition to seeing some strategies and good habits to deal with this situation.
When you just want to sleep and this problem lasts for a long time, there may be a problem that should be paid attention to.
In principle, Sleep is necessary for the body to recover While you are asleep, the body secretes growth hormone, which, in addition to contributing to the development of the body, helps to regenerate it. When deep sleep is achieved, the body acquires a situation of deep calm and tranquility, which allows us to disconnect from the stress of everyday life, in addition to being able to restructure our thinking and be able to give our best the next day. This is why sleeping well is so important, since it allows us to cope with everyday demands and lead a full and happy life.
Lack of sleep is cumulative. Sacrificing hours of sleep at night has an impact on the next day The body needs to recover the hours that it has not slept. If this situation is repeated continuously for a long period of time, it can lead to a situation of quite serious hypersomnia, in which it will interfere with the work and family life of the person who suffers from it by falling asleep in the office or not being able to spend time with your loved ones because you urgently need a nap.
In addition to not having good sleep hygiene, it may be the case that you have a lifestyle with bad habits. Lack of hydration, in addition to having a diet in which sugars are abundant and nutrients are scarce, can lead to a state of malnutrition that produces fatigue and daytime sleepiness.
Stress is not a good friend of sleep Living through a process in which there is anxiety can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. After lying down for hours without being able to sleep, when the day comes, the desire to sleep suddenly appears, which cannot be satisfied if you have a work life or other obligations that must be carried out during the day. Another thing that can happen is that you can sleep, but not deeply and, therefore, you do not benefit from a restful sleep.
Some disorders related to excessive sleep
In addition to all the causes mentioned here, more of a behavioral nature and related to inadequate health habits, it should be noted that Psychological disorders and medical illnesses may also be behind wanting to sleep all day
Depression is one of the mental disorders in which it is most common for a person to manifest symptoms of hypersomnia. People who suffer from a depressed mood may sleep more than normal, going to bed early and waking up quite late the next day. Sleeping for many hours can be a way to “make your problem disappear” for a while. Another reason this may be done is that sleep, for some people, is the closest thing to being dead.
hypersomnia, as a disorder in itself, is the fact of having a great need to sleep during the day, without nighttime sleep having been affected. It is common for it to occur when you are faced with a monotonous situation, although the times you yawn and feel the need to take a snooze are worrying. Additionally, if they fall asleep during the day, the sleep may not be completely restful.
Kleine-Levin syndrome is another very rare sleep disorder that usually occurs in men. Those who manifest it may suffer episodes once a year in which they spend between 16 and 18 hours straight sleeping.
Another case is narcolepsy in which you go from being awake to being asleep quickly and suddenly, although this sleep is restorative and lasts about 2 or 3 hours, despite how dangerous these sleep attacks are if you are driving, for example.
Among the medical diseases associated with sleep problems are anemia, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and morbid obesity. In addition, the abuse of certain substances, such as marijuana, can contribute to having an extreme need to sleep.
What to do in the face of so much sleep?
There are different ways to deal with this great need to sleep, however these will not be very effective if you do not first find out the origin of what is causing it. Below we explain some strategies to reduce the desire to sleep during the day.
1. Caffeine consumption
Everyone knows that drinks like coffee or tea are activators. Caffeine is an exciting substance that can be your ally to face an exhausting day and delay the desire to sleep.
However, it is important to indicate that, although it is not a dangerous substance, it is addictive and Consuming it in large quantities can have the rebound effect of not being able to sleep at night, causing even more desire to sleep the next day. Moderation is the key.
2. Organization and discipline
Many times, studies and work can get out of control, and the day arrives when we have to deliver an assignment or a report and, despite the fact that they gave us a lot of time in advance to prepare it, we have to do it the day before it is due. Because of this, we work until late, sacrificing hours.
Let’s be honest, this is our fault. The best way to avoid this type of situation is to be organized and have it ready well in advance so that we don’t have to worry until the wee hours of the morning.
If we go to sleep when we should, we will enjoy more hours of sleep, we will be able to achieve deep sleep more easily and we will enjoy a restful sleep.
3. Meditation, exercise and relaxation
It is no mystery that meditation helps calm the body and mind. Meditating or practicing relaxation techniques before going to sleep can help relax the body facilitating better sleep.
If you get a good night’s sleep, you are more likely to not feel so anxious about wanting to go to sleep the next day.
Physical exercise, especially cardiovascular, helps secrete endorphins in the brain that induce a feeling of well-being and less stress. This helps you fall asleep and allows you to wake up the next day fully recovered and energized.
4. Healthy eating
Malnutrition and dehydration may be behind feeling very sleepy during the day. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, in addition to consuming healthy amounts of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, helps the body fulfill all its basic functions.
To avoid feeling like sleeping throughout the day, it is advisable to start with a balanced breakfast since, although it has already been demystified that it is the most important meal of the day, it is true that it is the first meal.
5. Go to professionals
If the cause behind this problem is a mood disorder or a medical illness such as anemia, it is very important Go to a psychologist or doctor so that a diagnosis and appropriate treatment can be made
Among the treatments that can be used, it has been pointed out that light therapy can help readjust circadian cycles, which are the key to enjoying healthy sleep.
