|« Back to Article| Oversleeping may mean you're sleeping too
little By Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz | February 1, 2013
| Updated: February 13, 2013 3:54pm In Washington Irving's
classic tale, Rip Van Winkle slept for 20 years; when he awoke,
he was confused and creaky. No wonder! Getting too much sleep is
associated with everything from Alzheimer's disease and
depression to diabetes and heart disease. What triggers
hypersomnia, or oversleeping? New research shows that for some
it's caused by a dysfunction of GABA, a sleep-inducing brain
chemical that, when supercharged, acts like anesthesia. But for
most people, oversleeping is the result of too little or erratic
sleep - in other words, exhaustion. Sleep apnea, excessive
snoring, lack of daytime physical activity, stress and having a
computer, cellphone or TV in your bedroom are common causes of
poor sleeping habits that lead to oversleeping. But you can
change that: Eat at regular times; sleep in complete darkness;
and get as much sunlight (without ta