Q: Mattman, is there such a thing as too much sleep? Somebody I know sleeps at least 11 or 12 hours each day and they don’t seem to have energy like a superhero. ~Jim C
A: Jim! You sir are onto something big here! Like supersize big! The simple answer to your question is yes. There exists a maximum amount of sleep you actually need every night. Oversleeping doesn’t do much except cut into awake time you could be using for adventures, activities, and whatever else you get to do everyday. However, somebody who chooses to constantly oversleep or feels like they need to oversleep to catch up could be getting bad quality sleep. And when I say bad I mean real bad. There are a number of reasons why their sleep quality is low. The reasons range from poor quality mattress, medications, nutrition, external environment factors, and the list goes on.
If your friend is able to increase the quality of sleep they get every night, there is a very good chance they may not sleep as much. If they love to sleep, it’s okay to prioritize up to 10.5 hours daily. That’s considered the maximum! But me personally? I would rather take the three hours difference in sleep schedules and put that time to good use! I schedule seven and a half hours a night. I make sure my bedtime is consistent and follow the same nightly and dawnish routines everyday(yes, I said dawnish). If you think your friend could use a hand figuring out where to start improving their sleep, have them text me! 704-498-4451. I’m a Superhero Sleep Coach and I’m happy to help.