[redbandit]

I think my new addiction is sleep I think a big part of this problem is that my apartment has VERY little natural light. The windows are tiny, and you know, if it's dark, people tend to be sleepy.
Regular lights don't have the same effect. I've heard some people talk on here about different lights, like blue lights (?) and light boxes.
Has anyone had those help them wake up, or not sleep too much?
I don't want to sleep my life away!
Thanks for reading!

[Yoda]

I sleep too much when I am avoiding thinking about things that are troublesome or to avoid doing something I find difficult. Recently I have been sleeping to avoid making phone calls to ask for references for my resume.

Has sleeping too much started recently? If you have something you need to do are you able to wake up and get dressed and follow through with it?

[Tristan H.]

UV lamps are used as a form of treatment from people who suffer seasonal depression. I have always assumed that UV was responsible to a certain extent for our waking response as well, but you'd have to look it up. What's for sure is that the intensity of light from a lamp will never match that of sun rays coming in through your window. You might want to consider buying a lamp or a bulb providing greater intensity. If you have a bedside lamp think about positioning it so that its beam faces close to your eyes, and that it's easy to switch on from your bed.

Also, your body needs sleep, and it usually knows best.

[redbandit]

Originally Posted by Yoda

I sleep too much when I am avoiding thinking about things that are troublesome or to avoid doing something I find difficult. Recently I have been sleeping to avoid making phone calls to ask for references for my resume.

Has sleeping too much started recently? If you have something you need to do are you able to wake up and get dressed and follow through with it?

I always have weird sleeping patterns. I've just noticed it's been even weirder lately. Maybe I am procrastinating stuff. I've also been having really bad allergies and I think that makes me sleepy too.

[Thunder Bow]

Walk out in the sunlight 1hr, per day, if you can.

[Perna]

The weather around here hasn't been the greatest, either. I sleep longer if I go "back" to sleep after my first good awakening. I "can" get up earlier if I want. I avoid naps too (my husband takes one most days and it doesn't interfere with his sleep) and get up and do a chore or something to wake myself up. Just sitting here at the computer or in front of the TV can make me sleepy but getting up for a moment and doing some chore helps; just changing one's perspective for a moment.

[RTerroni]

How much sleep do you think is too much, I slept about 10 hours last night but I really didn't think that was too much.

[Stronger]

I feel you!
I used think that I was addicted to sleep, and that I loved it too much. But then I got tested and found out that I have narcolepsy. You might have it too? It's actually pretty common, it's just very under diagnosed because most people don't know about it.
The little light box you were talking about. I also have one of those. Sometimes I use it to get up in the morning. But most of the time I use it to counteract the affects of SAD. Mine is called a happy light. I would recommend it. It really does help wake you up and somehow actually makes you happier.

[mindyonz]

I also sleep a lots... usually because I get tired often due to my mind always working like a non-stop train... i worry like anything... generally I sleep at 9 or 10...and end up waking up at 3 or 4 with a heavy heart... then start worrying for an hour or so.. and then get back to sleep for another 2-3 hrs...

Also, immediately after breakfast I get sleepy.. is it because of breakfast or my body condition... I dont know still...

[redbandit]

Thanks for the tips!

Redbandit - do you think you're getting quality sleep? Do you have unbroken sleep? Any nightmares? What is your general anxiety level like? Sometimes our bodies "oversleep" to compensate for low quality sleep, which isn't as restful. In those cases, I feel that the best solution might be to improve the quality of sleep so that you can do with fewer hours.

[Yoda]

Any chance you might have sleep apnea? That makes it difficult to get quality sleep and can make you feel tired even if you sleep a long time.

[redbandit]

I don't think I have sleep apnea , and usually don't have nightmares. I do have a lot of anxiety