Why Do You Feel More Tired After Sleeping More?

We are repeatedly told that sleeping more has hundreds of health benefits, yet oversleeping makes us more tired and groggy. What’s going on?

Firstly, it’s perfectly normal to feel tired and groggy after sleeping more – it isn’t a worrying sign or something that needs medication. It has a name – sleep inertia – and usually goes away independently after a few hours.

The reason you feel more tired after sleeping more is simple: Oversleeping increases the likelihood of waking up from a deep sleep stage.

Being pulled out of deep or REM sleep puts your brain in a state of diffusion. As we sleep, our brains cycle through four sleep stages, each playing a role in chemical and hormone release, protein synthesis, and other bodily functions.

Our circadian rhythm (internal body clock) is in charge of waking us out of sleep phases, and oversleeping knocks the waking stage out of whack.

Oversleeping can pull us out of NREM stage 3 or REM sleep instead of cycling down to NREM stage 1, the transition between wakefulness and sleep.

Additionally, too much sleep creates a brain chemical imbalance, making it harder to concentrate, recall memories, and store new information.

But too little and too much REM sleep is bad for us. If you oversleep, you will get too much REM sleep and wake from a deeper sleep stage.

Why is too much REM sleep bad for us?

Most adults need around ninety minutes of REM sleep every night. When you oversleep, you can easily add 30 minutes to that amount.

Excessive REM sleep increases melatonin (the sleep hormone) levels in the brain, making you feel groggy and sleepy when you awaken.

The longer you sleep, the higher the melatonin levels in the brain. Melatonin isn’t harmful; it makes you feel tired and affects your concentration.

Your body clock pulls you out of REM sleep, but it’s easy to override and nod back off. If you ever sleep through alarms, you know this feeling too well.

Unfortunately, too much REM sleep can also give you excessive daytime sleepiness, so you can feel tired all day, even after the grogginess wears off.

Being pulled out of deeper sleep stages

When you oversleep, your brain has prolonged exposure to NREM stage 3 sleep (deep sleep) and REM sleep. Being pulled out of these sleep stages abruptly by an alarm, partner, or parent gives your brain no time to cycle down.

The result is high levels of the sleep hormone melatonin, which makes you feel groggy and exhausted. Additionally, you can struggle to make sense of reality for several minutes, with a fuzziness that distorts your view.

How to sleep better

Firstly, let’s establish how much sleep you need. Healthy adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, so you need eight hours.

Start with your waking time and work backward. If you wake up at 6 a.m., you need to be in bed by 9 p.m., which gives you an extra hour to nod off.

What you do during that extra hour is critical – you need to find ways to wind down so your breathing and heart rate slow.

Here are our top tips for winding down:

• Turn off your smartphone and television to eliminate blue light – smartphones can also fuel anxiety and depression.
• Read a book for twenty minutes to tire your eyes.
• Close your eyes and picture blackness; travel through space and create an incredible adventure that relaxes you.
• Play soothing sounds like rainfall, ocean waves, and whale songs.
• Light a scented candle with essential oils.
• De-stress with meditation and breathing techniques.
• Avoid caffeine six hours before bedtime and sugar two hours before bedtime to avoid their stimulative effects.
• Set a sleep schedule and wake up at the same time every day to kick your body clock into touch.