What To Do When All I Want to Do Is Sleep?

All i want to do is sleep

There are many simple questions you ask yourself in day to day life. One of these questions is “Why do I want to sleep all the time?”

According to the American Sleep Association, about 50 to 70 million US adults experience some sort of sleep disorder.

Moderate sleeping (normally 6 to 8 hours) is actually good for health, but when all you want to do is sleep, it can be the indication of something else.

There are many reasons why you may be feeling tired all the time. In this article, we will discuss the common causes for excessive sleepiness and effective ways to treat this problem.

Related Reading: How Sleeping on the Floor Benefits Your Health?


All I Want to do is Sleep: Possible Causes

If you’re concerned about why all you want to do is sleep, continue reading this article. The following are some of the major causes of excessive sleepiness.

When you feel that sleep is all you want to do, it can be quite alarming. Let’s look into some of the causes that trigger excessive sleepiness:

1. Physiological Factors that Cause Excessive Sleepiness

Hypersomnia:

Hypersomnia is a medical condition in which a person feels the need to sleep all day.

Even after sleeping for 12 hours at night, there is an urge to take naps during work hours or during the day. This can be caused by many factors such as work shifts, stress, family, and social life.

In such cases, even napping will not make you feel rested.

Instead, it is more likely that you may feel drowsy all-day long. People with hypersomnia often have disturbed sleeping schedules and have no control over the same.

Sleep is all I want to do

Medications:

Excessive drowsiness and hunger can be side-effects of certain medications. Some of the medications that may make you experience such symptoms include tranquilizers and sleeping pills.

Thus, when taking one of these drugs, you may feel like all you want to do is sleep and eat. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages, such as soft drinks, may also have the same effect.

For example, individuals that consume excessive amounts of coffee may experience disturbances with their sleep cycle; thus, making them feel drowsy throughout the day.

Insufficient Sleep:

Daytime sleepiness is usually triggered by not having enough sleep during the night.

Working late hours or staying up for parties on the weekends may trigger the feeling of wanting to sleep all day.

Disturbed sleep cycles also lead to drowsiness, reduced productivity, and hindered alertness.

Working Shifts:

The feeling of just wanting to sleep all day is very common among people who work night shifts.

Working night shifts breaks the rhythm that the body has been following for years and disturbs your natural sleep cycle.

When this synchronization in the biological clock is broken, it often leads to excessive tiredness.

Pregnancy:

Women in their first trimester of pregnancy often feel a constant need for sleep and food. The reason for this increase in drowsiness and hunger is the excessive secretion of progesterone in the body during pregnancy.

When pregnant, most of the energy that you have is consumed by your body to make the placenta and a base for the baby’s life.

Therefore, feeling like all you want to do is sleep and eat during pregnancy is quite natural and not something to be concerned about.

Related Reading: What Causes Headache above Right Eye?

Why does all i want to do is sleep

2. Psychological Factors Triggering Excessive Sleepiness

Depression:

Anhedonia is a part of depression which results in lower energy and lack of motivation. This condition removes the enjoyment you usually feel when performing enjoyable activities.

For example, if you love singing, this condition may take away the pleasure you once felt from the act of singing. Additionally, depression can also make you feel bored and drowsy all the time.

Stress:

Stress is like a parasite that feeds on your energy. Stress can result in anxiety, restlessness, and a massive reduction in energy.

The anxiety that accompanies stress can often make it difficult to sleep. This inability to sleep at night will cause drowsiness throughout the day.

Fear of Failure:

This is very common among teenagers; however, adults can also experience the same fears. Sometimes people face high-expectations from parents, seniors, or their employer.

People in authority try to make a point that failing is wrong. Thus, some people try and avoid situations where they feel they might fail.

They hesitate to try new things to keep up with their schedules and routines. This hinders their growth, which leads to restlessness, fatigue, and excessive sleepiness.

Related Reading: Asthenia (Weakness): Common Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Procrastination:

It is okay to procrastinate occasionally; however, when procrastination becomes a frequent habit, it can be a very difficult habit to overcome.

Procrastination often occurs when a person repeatedly delays performing a task because they either don’t feel like working on this task or feel intimidated by it.

When delaying an important task, such as homework, it may result in anxiety and stress; therefore, leading to sleep disruption and a constant feeling of drowsiness.

Additionally, procrastination may also be a result of depression as depression is often accompanied by a lack of motivation and fatigue.

Lack of Interest:

When an individual is made to do something they lack interest in, a lack of motivation often follows.

If this is prolonged for an extended period, it can lead to lower energy and disturbed sleep cycles. Additionally, doing something that you lack an interest in will also lead to boredom.

Low Self-Esteem:

Low self-esteem brings along a lack of motivation and effort in daily life. This results in procrastination, missing deadlines, anxiety, stress, and a feeling of helplessness.

The combination of all these negative emotions will often result in disrupted sleep cycles and frequent drowsiness.

Social Rejection:

In the book, “You Are Not So Smart,” by David McRaney, a survey was held which found that people who faced social rejection often had a lack of motivation and energy to get anything done.

This was due to the feeling that no one cared about them and anything they accomplished would go unnoticed anyways, which led to procrastination and stress.

always sleepy

Skipping Meals:

As most of us lead a very busy life, it is common for us to skip a meal or two. This can be a major reason why you may feel like all you want to do is sleep and eat.

Skipping meals leads to lack of proper nutrition, which may lead to excessive sleepiness or fatigue. Lack of motivation is another problem caused by fatigue, which results in incomplete tasks and piled up work.

Mental Conditions:

Some severe psychological or mental disorders may also lead to a feeling of wanting to sleep all day. Mental disorders often lead to fatigue and lack of motivation, which in turn leads to excessive sleepiness.

Sleepiness

3. Sleep Disorders

Often, people feel the need to sleep all day due to some type of sleep disorder.

People that suffer from a sleep disorder usually are not even aware of their condition; instead, they blame their constant drowsiness on everything around them.

Leaving a sleep disorder undiagnosed and untreated can result in stress and anxiety, which only serves to worsen the condition.

If you suspect that you may have a sleep disorder, schedule an appointment with your doctor.

Insomnia:

Individuals suffering from insomnia find it very difficult to sleep. Their nights are restless and lacking proper rest, sometimes for multiple nights in a row, which results in a constant feeling of drowsiness during the day. Feeling refreshed after having a nap is just not possible. This can be a problem in itself or a symptom of another underlying condition.

Sleep Apnea:

Sleep Apnea is a condition in which you experience difficulty breathing while asleep. This may cause you to snore or even choke while sleeping.

Additionally, Sleep Apnea can also make you wake up suddenly; thus, resulting in disturbed sleep cycles and frequent daytime drowsiness.

Sleep Apnea also causes a deteriorated supply of oxygen to the brain, making it unable to rest.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS):

Individuals suffering with RLS constantly feel an urge to move their legs. There are persistent sensations of burning, crawling, or creeping in the legs.

Another condition similar to RLS is Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. In this condition, a person experiences sudden jerks or twitching in the legs while asleep.

This results in a disturbed sleep cycle, which may make you feel like all you want to do is sleep.

Narcolepsy:

People suffering from narcolepsy find it common to fall asleep anywhere and anytime during the day. They may fall asleep while doing activities like driving, operating machinery, or any other work.

People suffering from narcolepsy are also at risk of falling frequently.Other symptoms that may also accompany narcolepsy include sleep paralysis, hallucinations, dramatic dreams, or emotional excitement.

4. Environmental Factors Causing Excessive Sleeping

Changes in Sleep Environment:

Often, we face changes in our sleep environment. Some of these changes could be a new baby that frequently cries at night, a partner that snores, or construction work near your home.

Factors such as this often affect your sleep patterns and are nothing that you can control.

Time Zone Changes:

Excessive sleepiness or fatigue is also a common occurrence when you have recently shifted to a new time zone. Your body gets adjusted to the environment that you live in.

A sudden change often takes a toll on the biological clock and makes you feel drowsy all the time.


All I Want to do is Sleep: How to Overcome Constant Sleepiness

Sound sleep and rest are what all of us want and need in life. If your body and mind do not get adequate rest, you might feel exhausted and drowsy throughout the day.

Excessive sleepiness or a disturbed sleep cycle may have many adverse effects on our health and behavior.

As we now know the causes of excessive sleepiness, let us move on to some effective solutions and methods to getting a sound night’s sleep.

All i want to do is sleep

1. Extrinsic Solutions to Obtain Good Sleep

Relax

Relaxation is very important for the mind and body. Make sure to relax both physically and mentally before going to bed.

If you are completely relaxed, you experience better sleep. It also keeps anxiety and depression away that could hinder your sleep in the middle of the night.

Diet

A proper and balanced diet is very important to sleep peacefully.

This is because the deficit in proper nutrients to the body can cause tiredness throughout the day, which will make you feel as though all you want to do is sleep and eat.

Maintain a nutritious and balanced diet to get better sleep.

Exercise

Exercise releases happy hormones in the body and makes you feel alert throughout the day. Exercise results in exhaustion at night which will help you get better sleep.

Additionally, exercising also maintains your BMI, which keeps your body healthy and fit; thus, improving your sleep cycle.

Reduce Caffeine and Alcohol

It is very important to reduce the intake of alcohol or caffeine in any form, especially close to your bedtime. Caffeine keeps the mind alert.

If you consume caffeinated beverages before bedtime, it will be very difficult for you get any sleep. So, it is recommended to avoid caffeine before going to bed.

Follow a Schedule

Make sure that you go to bed at a fixed time every night. Doing so will help your body develop proper sleeping habits.

This is considered one of the most effective methods of improving sleep patterns.

Change Environment

In order to avoid disturbances that disrupt sleep, it may be necessary for you to change your sleeping environment.

This change could be simply moving the television out of your bedroom so that you don’t stay up all night watching it.

Removing distractions such as computers, cell phones, or televisions from your sleep environment will allow you to better relax your mind and achieve a more rested night’s sleep.

Room Temperature

To achieve better sleep, it is very important that you look into the temperature of your room.

Make sure that your bedroom’s temperature is comfortable enough to induce good sleep. It should neither be too cold nor too hot. A perfect room temperature makes your body comfortable and puts it to rest.

Stay Out of Bed During the Day

It is important that you stay out of bed during the day and only come back when you’re going to sleep at night. If you are a person who frequently stays in bed throughout the day, it is very natural for you to feel lazy and lethargic.

The comfort of your bed relaxes your body, making it want to sleep. This may result in excessive sleepiness during the daytime and make it difficult for you to sleep at night.

So, it is recommended to stay away from your bed during the day.

Take Naps

Napping can help keep your brain alert throughout the day. It boosts your energy levels and increases your concentration power. However, it is recommended that your nap only last for around 30 minutes.

Many people confuse napping for daytime sleeping. Napping for extended periods will likely lead to problems in your sleeping patterns at night.

Surround Yourself with the Right People

Make sure that the group of people you surround yourself with are positive and motivating.

If you spend a lot of time around negative people who constantly complain, it may drain your energy and result in lack of motivation and procrastination.

It is very important that you surround yourself with people who are supportive and motivate you to do better in life.

Being around people who encourage and support you will help you reduce anxiety and get a better night’s sleep.

2. Intrinsic Solutions

Make Thrilling Goals

It is important to make your dreams, goals, and daily activities interesting. If you repeat the same mundane routine every day, it will only lead to boredom, which will cause you to feel tired all the time.

Try adding some fun and interesting activities to your daily routine. Doing so will keep you motivated, drive you to achieve your goals, and reduce the drowsiness caused by boredom.

Have Confidence in Yourself

Being confident and believing in yourself is very important in life. You have to be confident and believe that your plans and ambitions are important to you and the world.

This confidence in yourself and the belief in the goals you want to achieve will help keep you motivated and reduce that constant urge to sleep all day.

Don’t Give up on Your Goals

You will always face some obstacles that obstruct your progress in life. Don’t let these obstacles get the best of you and make you give up on your goals.

Instead, fight back and work hard to move past the hurdles that keep you from achieving your dreams and ambitions.

Living a rewarding life in which you are working towards your goals will help reduce anxiety and depression; thus, promoting a healthy sleep cycle.

Start Small

Make a list of things you need to do to achieve your goals. Start by working on the simple and smaller tasks. These small establishments will boost your confidence and will make you strive even harder.

Additionally, this will also make you feel closer to your goal, which will keep you motivated and prevent you from feeling like all you want to do is sleep the days away.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

When you allow yourself to dwell on small mistakes and failures, you are only holding yourself back from achieving life goals.

Additionally, obsessing over mistakes can also keep you awake at night and can potentially lead to anxiety and depression.

Instead of dwelling on past mistakes, look to the future and take steps that will help you achieve your goals and live a healthy, rested, and happy life.

Get Proper Rest

It is very important to ensure that you get adequate rest during the night. Rest is the key to an alert and active mind.

Keep track of the number of hours that you sleep and make sure that you are sleeping for the appropriate amount of time in order to feel fully rested during the day.


Conclusion

By ensuring that you eat healthily, exercise, make positive lifestyle decisions and be proactive in achieving your life goals, you can avoid or overcome the mental, emotional, and physical issues that lead to sleep troubles.


Sources:
Slater, G., & Steier, J. (2012). Excessive daytime sleepiness in sleep disorders. Journal of Thoracic Disease, 4(6), 608–616. http://doi.org/10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2012.10.0
Schwartz, J. R. L., Roth, T., Hirshkowitz, M., & Wright, K. P. (2009). Recognition and Management of Excessive Sleepiness in the Primary Care Setting. Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 11(5), 197–204. http://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.07r00545

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