After a hectic day at work, we need adequate sleep as it rejuvenates our system and makes us prepare for the next day. Deep and sound sleep is needed for our overall well-being. You may think people who easily doze off at any point of the day and fall asleep at night are lucky. But experts say this habit also brings on health problems. According to research, excessive sleeping can lead to the risk of diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular complications, and stroke.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, we require sleep of 7-8 hours every day. Despite sleeping for 7 hours, if you don’t feel rested and crave naps during the day, it may indicate a sign of sleep addiction.
Now you may start to wonder if sleep addiction is a real thing? Nutritionist and dietician Dr. Asma Alam, in an interaction with Hindustan Times, explained some interesting facts related to sleep addiction.
Dr. Asma said, “An average adult needs at least 7 hours of undisturbed sleep every night, referring to actual sleep and not just the time spent in bed. If one consistently doesn’t feel rested even after 7 hours of sleep and still craves naps throughout the day, they might start to feel like they have a sleep addiction.”
The health expert added that sleep addiction is not a medical condition, but excessive sleepiness can be triggered by certain other conditions. If you are experiencing symptoms like irritability, brain fog, tiredness, and memory difficulty, it can lead to sleep disorders like hypersomnia. It is a sleep disorder defined by long periods of sleep, excessive daytime sleeping, or even both.
The dietitian also described how extreme drowsiness can be a symptom of an underlying issue like anxiety, depression, or taking certain medications can lead to it and excessive daytime sleepiness can also be caused by other conditions like narcolepsy, sleep apnea, dysania, etc.
