There are times when we are feeling extremely exhausted and no amount of caffeine seems to be doing the trick. While we may blame our sedentary lifestyle, balancing work, home and social life, chances are that regularly snoozing for ten hours or more could be a sign of something more serious than just a busy week.
Sleep guru Dr Nerina Ramlakhan spoke to The Sun Online to reveal the six reasons one may need more sleep.
Sleep disorders: If you have a sleep disorder then you are going to feel exhausted most of the time. The reason for it could be Insomnia. The symptoms of insomnia include difficulty dozing off, lying awake for a long time at night, waking up several times every night and not feeling refreshed when you get up.
According to Dr Nerina, there are two main types of sleep problems people experience that include getting sleep and staying asleep.
Dr Nerina advocates five non-negotiables to improve sleep quality. They include eating breakfast within half an hour of getting up, reducing coffee intake, drinking more water, getting to bed earlier three or four nights a week and switching off phones and iPads before bed.
Mental health: Sleeping for extended periods can be a sign of depression. However, research also suggests that sleep disorders can cause depression, particularly insomnia.
If a person struggles with mental health they are likely to experience sleep problems.
Anxiety can also cause problems with sleep, leaving a person more tired than normal.
There is a new sleep disorder called orthosomnia, which causes people to obsessively check their sleeping apps enough to disrupt their sleeping patterns.
But when our mental health improves, so too does our sleep.
Medical conditions: Just like mental health, physical health can also affect how well one sleeps. Sleeplessness can come from something as simple as back pain or muscle aches.
If you suffer from anaemia, pain conditions like fibromyalgia and arthritis, conditions that affect your hormones like Addison's disease or have an underactive or overactive thyroid you may also find yourself struggling to sleep, or just battling fatigue.
Hormonal changes: Fluctuations of oestrogen and progesterone over the course of a woman's lifetime can cause disruption to her sleep pattern. Menopause can affect sleep as well, so can pregnancy.
Nature or nurture: Some people are genetically predisposed to need more sleep, others need more sleep because it is a learned behaviour. According to a study published in the journal PLOS Genetics in 2017, each person sleeps differently based on their genetics.
Lacking in sleep: Not sleeping enough wreaks havoc on your health, affecting a person physically, emotionally and spiritually.
