Too Much of a Good Dream

By Mary Claire Schibelka, LPC

Everybody has their vice.  For some, it’s plush covers and fluffy pillows.  Sleep, one of mental health’s most important ingredients, can be overdone like anything else.

Forbes revealed that Millennials sleep an average of 25 minutes longer per night than the average American.  Enough sleep (about 7 to 9 hours per night) can result in greater productivity, health benefits, and better cognitive performance.  Too much sleep can lead to serious risks.

According to the American Heart Association, women who spent two or more hours catching up on sleep, or “binge sleeping” during the weekend were likely to have poorer cardiovascular health than those who did not.  Instead, the Association advises keeping a regular schedule.  Go to sleep and wake up at the same times each day, and try not to change your sleeping habits too drastically on the weekends.

Positive mental health outcomes are also highly connected to sleep.  Oversleeping is both a symptom and a cause of anxiety and depression.  Too much sleeping results in lower productivity, causing anxiety that leads to lesser quality of sleep, so the cycle goes on.

Much like physicians, mental health experts typically recommend maintaining a sleep schedule.  When you form a routine, you tell your body what to expect everyday.  Waking up at 7am no longer feels excruciating, it feels normal.  Grogginess decreases, focus deepens, and not only quantity, but also quality of work improves.

If you’ve ever hit the snooze button one or six too many times in the morning, you know the impact it can have on your day.  Suddenly, everything feels rushed.  The day turns into a game of catch-up.  You go to sleep feeling exhausted and, on the really bad days, unaccomplished.

Sleep feels incredible, but one has to ask, is it worth it?  This is not a straightforward answer.  If you’re wondering if you oversleep or undersleep with intermittent binges to pay back your “sleep debt”, ask yourself these questions:

• What is your sleep schedule doing for you?

• What is it costing you?

• Which is most important to you?

If your bedtime is more like a guideline, you might really enjoy an extra hour awake at night and a few hits of the snooze button in the morning.  Maybe the cost is relatively low!  However, if you find you’re consistently running late, underperforming at work, or feeling rushed, oversleeping might be part of the problem.

Here’s how values play into this:  Spending an extra hour with a friend at night might be worth a groggy morning.  One more episode of a show you’ve seen ten times might not be worth missing a deadline.  Determining the cost of something requires understanding your values and priorities.

Waking up at a consistent time every morning relies on going to sleep at the same time every night.  To align your sleep schedule, first choose a bedtime that will typically allow you between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night.  Then, choose a wakeup time that makes the most sense for you within that 7 to 9 hour range.  

Next, plan necessary activities throughout your week, followed by optional ones.  Leave room for spontaneity and flexibility.  Rigidity is a quick killer of routines.  Give yourself permission to make cancellations when necessary for mental health reasons, sleep included.

Allow your body about three weeks to adjust, and then observe the outcomes.  A regular sleep schedule just might be your key to the next level.