While oversleeping isn't really a major concern for most people, the causes of oversleeping often are. Also, oversleeping can have concerns of its own that people should pay more attention to.
Everyone is aware of the incidental effects of oversleeping like fatigue and being late for work, however, studies have shown that it may also lead to an increased risk for certain health issues in the future. While some of those are less serious things like weight gain, depression, and mood issues, others can be extremely serious conditions such as a heightened risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Let's go over some common causes of oversleeping and how having the right mattress can help alleviate them.
Related Blog: 5 Signs That You Might Have A Sleep Disorder
Oversleeping Leads to Poor Sleep Quality
Sleep quality can have a profound effect on how much you sleep. Discomfort, overheating, and tossing and turning can all be a detriment to sleep quality. One way to vastly improve the quality of the sleep you're getting is to switch mattresses.
If you're sleeping on a mattress that's too firm, not firm enough, or doesn't sleep cool, it can cause you to wake up more often. A mattress that provides the level of comfort you need can help you rest much better and start getting the right amount of high-quality, restful sleep.
Causes Back Pain
Back pain can affect sleep quality quite a bit. When you're in pain you're more likely to be pulled out of the deeper levels of sleep which affects your sleep quality and the amount of time you spend in restorative sleep.
Poor spinal alignment and a lack of support on sensitive pressure points can cause or exacerbate back pain. Having a mattress that supports your spine and helps with correct spinal alignment can help relieve the stress on these pressure points and lessen the pain you experience, both at night as you sleep and during the day while you're awake.
This can lead to much better sleep and can reduce or eliminate oversleeping.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a medical condition that causes your breathing to stop and start back up abruptly during your sleep. This causes you to spend less time in deeper stages of sleep and wake up more times during the night. Spending less time in REM sleep, the deep restorative sleep necessary to feel well-rested enough in the morning to stay awake, can cause oversleeping.
In fact, sufferers often experience insomnia (inability to sleep), hypersomnia (oversleeping), or both, due to their condition and related sleep issues.
People with obstructive sleep apnea stop breathing when their airway is obstructed by the muscles in the back of their throat. This can be helped by sleeping on a more supportive mattress with better spinal alignment.
The proper alignment ensures that their neck is in a better position to avoid that obstruction. Sleeping on their side can also be helpful in the same way so a mattress ideal for side sleep is beneficial.
Sleeping with the head elevated can alleviate the cause of obstructive sleep apnea by adjusting the angle of the head enough to keep the muscles from blocking the throat as well. Getting an adjustable bed and mattress can be helpful for sleep apnea patients to find the right angle for their bodies.
Sleep is incredibly important and it affects every other aspect of your life. In the same way, different parts of your waking life can have profound effects on your sleep. This causes a cycle wherein your life impacts your sleep which in turn further impacts your life, going on and on. It isn't hopeless though.
Changing the mattress that you sleep on can make an incredibly positive difference in your sleep quality. That one change can affect the cycle and cause your waking life to improve, thereby further improving your sleep. The right mattress is a small change that makes a huge difference.
Linked Sources:
Increased Risk for Certain Health Issues:
https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/physical-side-effects-oversleeping#1
Sleep Apnea:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631
Other Sources:
https://www.mattressadvisor.com/oversleeping-too-much/
https://bedadvisor.com/best-mattress-sleep-apnea-sufferers/
