Addicted to sleep: What to do to dream in real life again
Sleeping, of course, is super fun. Sleeping in on weekends is something everyone wants to do, but what if you can't stop sleeping. What if after sleeping in you always turn over to just continue sleeping? What if you only get out of bed to have a quick bite to eat and drink and then snuggle back into bed?
Being addicted to sleep can have a nasty impact on your life. That's why in this blog I discuss sleep addiction and what you can do about it.
When are you addicted to sleep?
Do you only think about your bed when you're awake? Do you already stop setting the alarm clock because you just don't care anymore?
Do you oversleep before every important appointment?
Normal people sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night, but you just sleep many more hours than that and almost every night.
Are you addicted to sleep, too? Sleep addiction isn’t a “recognized” addiction, but neither is sports addiction —and yet people can still suffer from it.
Consequences of sleep addiction
Sleeping too much is unhealthy. Regularly sleeping more than 9 hours a night causes you to oversleep too often.
Sleeping too much is linked to:
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular disorders
- Early death
Sleep is something you need, but unfortunately too much sleep is not healthy. So even though your bed is so nice and warm. Outside of weekends, you really don't need to sleep more than 9 hours a night.
Are you addicted to sleep if you take sleeping pills?
Do you have trouble sleeping and therefore take sleep medication? That doesn’t mean you’re addicted to sleep. Sleep is something everyone needs to allow the body to recover. If you have trouble sleeping and natural solutions don’t work, many people turn to medication.
Using sleep medication is only a problem if you use it to sleep more than 9 hours daily.
Causes of sleep addiction?
A sleep addiction is something that builds up slowly until it becomes a habit that is difficult to reverse. The following factors can contribute to a sleep addiction.
- Stress
- Depression symptom
- Low socioeconomic status/unemployment
During periods of stress, you may need more sleep than usual to recover from the day. However, if this pattern persists after the stressful period has ended, you may develop a dependency on sleep.
People with low socioeconomic status are also more likely to suffer from sleep addiction. This may be because unemployment does not provide an incentive to get out of bed. The habit of sleeping in can then develop, and it can be difficult to break.
In some cases, being addicted to sleep is not the problem, but a symptom of an underlying issue. People suffering from depression can sometimes stay in bed for days on end and continue to sleep.
Also with narcolepsy, you might think of a sleep addiction, but nothing of the sort is true. People with narcolepsy have no control over when they fall asleep. This can make it seem to bystanders that they are addicted to sleep, because who sleeps at work, on the bus or even on the floor?
Treating sleep addiction
There are several things you can do if you are addicted to sleep. Treatment consists mainly of gradually reducing sleep, but how do you do that properly and without actually getting tired again?
Sleep Plan
It all starts with a sleep plan. You often can't go to sleep at 1 normal time. Your body does get used to your current amount of sleep, and normal sleep times can therefore cause additional fatigue.
Therefore, it is better to build back 1 hour of sleep each week until you get back to an average of 8 hours of sleep.
In this sleep plan, you also plan specific times when you get in bed and when you get out of bed.
Really get out of bed
It's very tempting to stay in bed anyway when you have no obligations, but that won't solve your sleep addiction. Therefore, really try to get out of bed anyway.
To do this, for example, use a morning ritual that you can follow when you have no obligations. Since getting up is a stressful time for many people, this can also be a reason to stay down.
Instead, go to another room. There, you can start your day with 10 minutes of meditation. This meditation immediately reduces the stress of getting up. Plus, during these 10 minutes, you can find inspiration for what else you can do with your day besides sleeping.
Putting a notebook next to you while meditating allows you to write down ideas and then turn them into goals.
Then eat a healthy breakfast that energizes you and do your thing, even if it's just reading a book.
Check the sun every day
The sun is important for your daytime energy. There is a reason why most people have more energy in the summer than in the winter. Of course, the temperature in summer is also higher, but Dutch summers are really not comparable to those in Spain. The hours of sunlight and the chances of you experiencing that sunlight are much greater in the summer than in the winter and therefore you sleep less.
So go outside every day for at least 15 minutes to enjoy the sun, or at least daylight.
Changing beliefs about sleep
In addition, it’s important to examine your beliefs about sleep. Why do you sleep so much? Do you sleep a lot because you think it’s healthy? Do you sleep a lot to escape your reality?
Your beliefs about sleep matter in overcoming addiction to sleep. In fact, by figuring out your beliefs, you can debunk the beliefs and you can put other beliefs in their place so that sleeping too much is no longer as appealing as it is now.
With hypnosis, it is possible to figure out your beliefs. This can be done in multiple ways, such as with a socratic conversation.
Socratic conversation
The therapist will then ask you how you think about sleep and then why you think that way. Asking those questions allows you to get to the core of your beliefs and the amount of knowledge you have on the subject. This alone can change beliefs that cause you to find sleep so appealing.
Regression
Not sure exactly what you think about sleep, other than that you just sleep a lot? Then regression therapy can help you identify those beliefs and their origins. You can then view an early memory of a specific event from a greater distance, allowing you to change your beliefs.
Very unexpected causes can be found.
Hypnotic suggestions
One way to weaken old beliefs and strengthen new ones is to use hypnotic suggestions. During hypnosis, you are more open to adopting new beliefs. Initially, the hypnotherapist can do this during a session; afterward, you’ll receive customized hypnotic suggestions to take home that you can repeat during self-hypnosis. You can also receive your hypnotic suggestions as an MP3 file, so all you have to do is listen to them.
Steps for self-hypnosis
To hypnotize yourself, sit or lie down in a relaxed place at home.
- You focus first on your breathing. It should go through your belly.
- You make your breaths equally long.
- You relax your muscles.
- You close your eyes.
Then you repeat the hypnotic suggestions given to you by the therapist. If you were given an mp3 you turn it on. In some cases, the mp3 starts with an induction to help you get into the hypnotic state.
Guided visualization
Another technique the hypnotist can use to help you get rid of sleep addiction is through guided visualization. In that visualization, getting up is visualized. Not only the sight of getting up is visualized, but also the feeling that it gives and the signals you get from your senses, such as the smell of fresh air when you open the window. The singing birds in the tree near your house and the stretching of your muscles to wake up your body.
You can then also perform these guided visualizations at home during self-hypnosis or are given to you as mp3 files.
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Also pin this handy infographic as a reminder:
Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/physical-side-effects-oversleeping#1