Oversleeping & Hypersomnia in Adults: Causes and Help
Most people think of sleep problems as not getting enough sleep. But for some adults, the other end of the spectrum—oversleeping—can become a problem. This is called hypersomnia, or sleeping far more than the body needs and still waking up feeling unrefreshed.
Oversleeping might seem harmless at first—after all, sleep is supposed to be healthy. But when it becomes chronic, it can be a result of other concerns we may not even know are a problem.
In this article, we’ll explore:
- Understanding hypersomnia and its symptoms.
- The physical and emotional causes of oversleeping in adults.
- The connection between mental health and hypersomnia.
- Coping with hypersomnia.
- Commonly asked questions about fatigue and oversleeping.
What Is Hypersomnia?
Hypersomnia is a state of excessive sleepiness that continues even after long periods of rest, sometimes up to 10 hours a night. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), hypersomnia appears under Sleep-Wake Disorders as hypersomnolence disorder, and unlike typical tiredness, hypersomnia is ongoing and interferes with daily functioning.2
There are two main types of hypersomnia:
1. Primary Hypersomnia
Primary hypersomnia happens on its own and is not caused by another medical condition. Within primary hypersomnia, you might have conditions like:
- Idiopathic hypersomnia, which happens without any known cause.3
- Narcolepsy, which occurs when your brain can’t control the ability to sleep or stay awake.4
- Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS), also called sleeping beauty syndrome, which is extremely rare but can result in you sleeping up to 20 hours a day or more.5
2. Secondary Hypersomnia
Secondary hypersomnia, on the other hand, develops as a result of another factor, such as depression, sleep apnea, substance use, or a medical condition that disrupts normal sleep patterns.
The experience of these conditions often goes beyond feeling “sleepy.” You might experience a sense of heaviness or mental fog that makes even simple tasks feel overwhelming. You might have a harder time concentrating, staying motivated, or completing your daily responsibilities. Over time, this cycle can contribute to frustration, guilt, or emotional withdrawal, especially when others misinterpret the symptoms as laziness or lack of effort.
Symptoms of Hypersomnia and Oversleeping in Adults
The symptoms of oversleeping can affect all areas of life. When we’re sleeping too much, we might find it difficult to complete our everyday responsibilities, maintain a social life, or engage in activities we enjoy.
While the symptoms of hypersomnia will vary from person to person, some of the common symptoms include:
Constant Daytime Sleepiness
Even after a full night’s rest, people with hypersomnia often feel exhausted throughout the day. Staying awake during work, meetings, or conversations can be difficult, leading to feelings of shame or frustration about appearing “lazy” or unmotivated.
Difficulty Waking Up
Many adults describe mornings as a daily battle. Alarms may go off repeatedly, but waking feels physically painful or disorienting. This grogginess, sometimes called sleep inertia, can last for hours, making it hard to start the day.6
Low Mood and Irritability
Because depression and excessive sleep often overlap, mood changes are common. Many people report feeling emotionally flat, easily frustrated, or withdrawn from activities they used to enjoy. You might find yourself feeling more anxious, annoyed, or depressed.
Physical Discomfort
When you spend more than the recommended time in bed, you might experience frequent headaches, muscle stiffness, and body aches. Oversleeping may also disrupt the body’s natural rhythms, leading to fatigue that lingers even after waking.
Disrupted Routine and Functioning
When sleep takes up much of the day, it becomes harder to maintain responsibilities and relationships. Missed appointments, irregular meals, and limited social engagement can deepen feelings of isolation or guilt.
While occasional long sleep after an exhausting week is normal, hypersomnia is different—it’s ongoing, resistant to rest, and often intertwined with emotional or physical health.
Oversleeping and Hypersomnia Causes
There is no single cause for hypersomnia, and some people may experience it without any easily identifiable reason, just like with idiopathic hypersomnia. Because there aren’t always easy ways to understand why hypersomnia is happening, it’s important to know some of the common causes, including:
1. Mental Health Conditions
Depression and anxiety are among the most common causes of excessive sleep.7 When our mood drops, the brain’s motivation and energy systems slow down, causing us to feel tired and want to sleep. Oversleeping can also reinforce this cycle, where too much rest interrupts our body’s natural sleep cycle, so we’re not getting the restorative rest we need, which in turn worsens the fatigue and our mood.
2. Sleep Disorders and Medical Conditions
Certain health issues directly affect sleep quality and duration. Sleep apnea, for instance, repeatedly interrupts breathing during rest, leaving you feeling unrefreshed no matter how long you sleep.
Other medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism, anemia, or chronic fatigue syndrome, can also cause excessive sleepiness. When the body is under strain, extended sleep often becomes a way to conserve energy, even if it doesn’t bring true recovery.
3. Medication and Substance-Related Factors
Some prescription medications, especially antidepressants, antihistamines, and sedatives, can cause drowsiness or oversleeping as side effects. Alcohol and certain substances may also disrupt sleep cycles, preventing the brain from going through its restorative stages properly. Over time, this imbalance can leave you feeling constantly tired, regardless of how long you rest.
4. Emotional and Trauma-Related Causes
For some people, oversleeping serves as a form of emotional self-protection. After trauma, grief, or prolonged stress, the nervous system can enter a state of exhaustion where rest feels like the only safe option. Sleep may become a way to escape difficult emotions or overwhelming memories.
While hypersomnia can feel confusing or frustrating, it’s important to remember that excessive sleep is often the body’s way of signaling that something needs your attention and care.
The Connection Between Mental Health and Hypersomnia
Sleep and mental health influence each other quite deeply. When we’re not sleeping well, it becomes harder to regulate our emotions, and when we’re struggling emotionally, our sleep can suffer in return. This cycle can be especially difficult in someone with hypersomnia, where excessive rest and ongoing fatigue reflect an underlying imbalance in both body and mind.
Research shows that sleep doesn’t just play a role in our physical recovery—it also helps us process emotions.8 During certain sleep stages, the brain regulates mood, consolidates memory, and integrates daily experiences. These restorative processes are thrown off when sleep patterns are disrupted with either too little or too much sleep, leading to increased irritability, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating.
Treatment for Hypersomnia
Adult sleep support for hypersomnia is about more than just sleeping less. Here are some sleep regulation strategies that combine medical assessments with practical steps and therapy for oversleeping:
1. Get a Sleep Assessment
The first step toward getting support for hypersomnia is having a thorough evaluation. This can also help rule out any underlying medical conditions that may be causing you to oversleep. Your doctor might recommend a sleep study or lab work to identify conditions such as thyroid dysfunction, anemia, or sleep apnea. Understanding what’s happening, physically, helps target treatment accurately.
2. Behavioral Therapy for Sleep Issues
Behavioral therapies can help get at the emotional and mental roots of what might be causing the hypersomnia. Evidence-based approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) play a key role in improving sleep quality and daytime energy.
As a form of behavioral therapy for sleep issues, CBT helps us identify unhelpful thought patterns, like “I can’t function unless I sleep all day, ” and replace them with realistic beliefs and actions that promote energy regulation.
3. Sleep Hygiene Techniques and Routine
Through practical sleep hygiene techniques, you can learn to retrain the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, so you’re sleeping less and feeling rested. Strategies include:
- Maintaining consistent bedtimes
- Avoiding long naps
- Limiting screens before bed
- Getting sunlight exposure each morning
These sleep regulation strategies can help reset the circadian rhythm and improve both energy and mood over time.
4. Addressing Stress-Related Sleep Issues
Chronic stress and emotional exhaustion often lead to sleep issues, where the body’s need for rest becomes overwhelming. Therapies, such as mindfulness-based interventions or somatic approaches, help calm the nervous system and teach the body to rest without shutting down.9 By processing the emotional factors that drive oversleeping, therapy supports deeper, more restorative rest rather than prolonged fatigue.
5. Building Sustainable Habits and Self-Compassion
Creating small, daily habits, like a morning walk, balanced nutrition, or consistent routines, supports healthy sleep regulation. Equally important is self-compassion, which is about understanding that oversleeping isn’t a personal failure but a signal that something deeper needs care.
With a combination of medical care, behavioral therapy, and emotional support, you can begin to break the cycle of hypersomnia and rebuild a sustainable rhythm of rest and activity that truly restores mind and body.
Mission Connection: Professional Treatment for Oversleeping and Hypersomnia in Adults
At Mission Connection, we understand that chronic oversleeping and hypersomnia are more than just signs of tiredness—they’re signals that the body and mind need support. Many adults feel frustrated or misunderstood when exhaustion continues, no matter how much they sleep. That’s why our approach goes beyond surface-level solutions to address both the psychological and physiological causes of excessive sleep.
Our clinicians integrate evidence-based therapies such as CBT, mindfulness-based practices, and trauma-focused care to help restore healthy sleep rhythms and emotional balance. Whether your oversleeping stems from depression, anxiety, trauma, or stress-related fatigue, we tailor treatment plans that promote genuine rest and renewed vitality.
If sleep has started to take over your days or if exhaustion keeps you from feeling like yourself, Mission Connection is here to help. Contact us today. Our compassionate team will work with you to uncover the root causes, apply practical tools for sleep regulation, and guide you toward sustainable healing that helps you wake each day with clarity, purpose, and peace.
FAQs About Sleep Disorders in Adults
1. What’s the Difference Between Being Tired and Having Hypersomnia?
The biggest difference between being tired and having hypersomnia is how long it lasts. You might feel tired after a long week or after a few restless nights, but this will normally resolve once you get proper rest. However, hypersomnia is when you experience excessive sleepiness despite getting long periods of sleep. Usually, people with hypersomnia sleep 10 or more hours a night and still feel tired, making it difficult to function.
2. Is Oversleeping Harmful to My Health?
Oversleeping is not generally harmful to your health, especially when you’re only oversleeping occasionally. It’s when it becomes chronic hypersomnia that you might experience an increased risk of physical health issues, such as heart disease, diabetes, and weight changes.10 Oversleeping might also worsen your mental health, causing depression, isolation, and low self-esteem. So while not necessarily harmful, if you notice it becoming a consistent pattern or causing distress, you might want to seek support.
3. How Can I Start Improving My Sleep Patterns?
You can start by establishing consistent sleep hygiene practices, such as waking up at the same time every day, limiting screen use before bed, and getting fresh air and sunshine at least once a day. Regular movement, eating well, and reducing caffeine intake can also improve sleep. If these changes don’t seem to help, you may want to talk to a doctor about a possible medical condition or explore therapy for sleep issues.
4. How Does Mission Connection Treat Hypersomnia and Oversleeping?
We provide an approach that combines behavioral therapy, medical assessment, and emotional support with mindfulness practices to improve relaxation. Our goal is to address both the mental and physical causes of excessive sleep and to reduce the hours you spend in bed while also helping you wake up each day feeling more energized, focused, and connected to life again.
References
- Bollu, P. C., Manjamalai, S., Thakkar, M., & Sahota, P. (2018). Hypersomnia. Missouri medicine, 115(1), 85–91.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US). (2016, June). Table 3.35, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Hypersomnolence Disorder Comparison – Impact of the DSM-IV to DSM-5 Changes on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t35/
- Dhillon, K., & Sankari, A. (2023, July 31). Idiopathic hypersomnia. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK585065/
- Narcolepsy. (2025, February 26). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/narcolepsy
- Ramdurg, S. (2010). Kleine-Levin syndrome: Etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, 13(4), 241. https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-2327.74185
- Hilditch, C. J., & McHill, A. W. (2019). Sleep inertia: current insights. Nature and Science of Sleep, Volume 11, 155–165. https://doi.org/10.2147/nss.s188911
- Mume, C. (2009). Excessive daytime sleepiness among depressed patients. Libyan Journal of Medicine, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.4176/091024
- Vandekerckhove, M., & Wang, Y. (2017). Emotion, emotion regulation and sleep: an intimate relationship. AIMS Neuroscience, 1(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3934/neuroscience.2018.1.1
- Rusch, H. L., Rosario, M., Levison, L. M., Olivera, A., Livingston, W. S., Wu, T., & Gill, J. M. (2018). The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1445(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13996
- Wang, L., Liu, Q., Heizhati, M., Yao, X., Luo, Q., & Li, N. (2020). Association between Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Cohort Studies. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 21(12), 1979–1985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2020.05.023