"I’m a Chronic Oversleeper, so I Asked a Sleep Doctor for Advice"

I’ve never been a morning person, unless you count a brief interlude when I returned home from a European holiday last year. Severe jetlag momentarily allowed me to enter the wondrous world of being an early bird. For two months, I felt smug and unbelievably productive – I was certain I’d rewired my brain and would forever more be a 6am riser. I was fitting in a run before work, luxuriating in a leisurely breakfast, and arriving to the office with time to spare. These were activities that were previously unknown to me.

I’ve been plagued with sleep-related issues as far back as I can remember. Whether it’s sleep paralysis or bouts of insomnia, it’s never been something that’s come easily for me. As such, mornings have always been my enemy. Getting out of bed and being productive before 9am feels brutal, and I’ve been a chronic oversleeper since my teenage years. I’m a snooze-my-alarm-multiple-times type girl.

This terrible habit means I’m often a frazzled mess leaving the house. Too many times to count, I’ll arrive to my destination without having had breakfast and usually having left something very necessary – like my laptop charger or drink bottle – at home. Clearly, sleeping in is wreaking havoc in my life. To help me change my snooze-loving ways, I asked Dr Moira Junge, a registered health psychologist and the CEO of the Sleep Health Foundation, for some advice.

Is sleeping in actually bad for you?

First things first, is sleeping in actually bad for you?

“Well, the research and any particular consequences would depend on the reasons for the oversleeping. Obviously, it can be detrimental to a person’s social, emotional, and economic health as it usually creates a lot of stress and poor work performance and reviews if someone is constantly late and becomes an unreliable friend or employee,” Dr Junge tells me.

According to Dr Junge, if someone is continually unable to get up in the morning, it could be indicative of a few things: not getting enough hours of sleep, poor quality sleep with lots of disruptions, or the timing of their sleep being out of whack.

In terms of the physical and mental impacts of oversleeping, Dr Junge says this again depends on the reasons for oversleeping, but there are some general negative impacts oversleepers will experience almost immediately.

“People who aren’t getting adequate sleep will in the short-term feel drowsy, tired, and sleepy, may have difficulty concentrating, have difficulty with their mood, and have slower reaction times and reflexes. They’re also more at risk of accidents and injuries due to this reduced alertness and reaction times.”

In the longer term, people who don’t get regular adequate sleep are more at risk of many chronic health conditions like cardiovascular disease, obesity and weight gain, type 2 diabetes, some types of dementia, anxiety, and depression. Yikes.

So how can I stop sleeping in?

Dr Junge says I need to start out by identifying the reasons I’m not able to get up easily in the morning.

“It could be time to start making sleep more of a priority and checking if you’re doing all you can to improve sleep and optimise sleep. For example, do you have an unwinding period, do you have minimal caffeine, do you limit your alcohol intake and have at least three to four hours in between alcohol and sleep? Do you eat well and have your stress levels kept to a minimum? Do you know that bright light conditions aren’t conducive for sleep?”

I know for sure that I need to implement a better unwinding period and prioritise eating better (and at smarter times). I’m a textbook night owl, so I’ll often have dinner later in the evening and stay up, a habit I know I need to change.

Dr Junge suggests chronic oversleepers like me spend some time reviewing the Sleep Health Foundation’s fact sheet for understanding and helping poor sleep. It’s packed full of useful advice and practical tips, and it’s a link I instantly bookmarked – I know it’s something I’ll refer back to as I try to tackle my sleep issues.

Once I’ve identified the reasons I’m not able to get up in the morning, what are some practical tips I can try out to make better sleep and easier rising a possibility? Unfortunately for us diehard night owls, Dr Junge reminds me that it really does hinge on getting to bed earlier. “Try getting into bed earlier and aiming for better quality sleep by unwinding more before bed via relaxation techniques, music, reading, TV, or whatever helps you unwind and even try have short naps,” she shares.

It’s also important to check whether anything more serious is going on that’s disrupting your sleep. “Ensure you have things like snoring checked out by a sleep professional to see that it’s not sleep apnea, or if you have a lot of nightmares or restlessness and if there is significant concern about sleep, ensure you seek professional help from a suitably qualified sleep expert.”

Finally, Dr Junge emphasises the importance of understanding and harnessing your sleep chronotype, which in simple terms is the natural inclination your body has to sleep at certain times. “If there’s any possibility at all, people should try to work and live within their natural ‘chronotype’. Try to be true to your inner sleep self and if you’re an extreme evening type try to gravitate to work that allows you to do the afternoon or evening shift.”