As you may know, my ‘oversleeping addiction’ was the reason I started this site in the first place, and I’m glad to be able to share my 6 steps “sleep addiction recovery plan” with you…
(To make sure you’re on the right page – if you don’t consider yourself a ‘sleep addict’, find out how much sleep is too much »)
OK, ready?
Here’s How to Stop Oversleeping:
Step 1: Decide to ‘Wake Up’!
There’s no easier way to say it – if you oversleep often, it’s because part of you prefers to stay in bed.
Often times, oversleeping is a way to procrastinate – to avoid facing problems or life in general.
Another way to look at it is as kind of an ’escape mechanism’, a way to get away from reality (with a temporary, but very pleasant illusion of freedom, I have to add).
Bottom line – if you want to stop oversleeping, you’d have to kinda ‘face your demons’ – to uncover the underlying reason you oversleep, and then decide to deal with it, instead of ‘sleeping it away’.
Step 2: Get Motivated to Stop Oversleeping
There is obviously more than one way to do that… but here is a very simple one:
1. Come up with at least one strong reason WHY you want to stop oversleeping. Be as clear and as specific as you can.
TIP: Your “why” must come from your core. It has to ‘strike an emotional chord’. (For example, don’t set a goal to “have more time to study”, when actually thinking of studying makes you sick. It just won’t work! )
2. Write it down as a very positive statement in the present tense. (For example: “I’m very happy and proud of myself, because I wake up easily at 7AM every morning, filled with energy and drive”).
3. Read, write and re-write it often. At the very least review it at bedtime.
Step 3: Get Rid of Limiting Beliefs About Sleeping and Rising
You have to stop thinking things like…
“I need more sleep than the average person”, or -
“I can’t help it. I just love to sleep”, or -
“I hate waking up early”
You have to start thinking about sleep as something you must do in order to survive and nothing more, and you absolutely must believe in your ability to function on a normal sleep schedule (which is most likely true.)
Step 4: Commit to a Steady Sleep Schedule
It’s best if you can go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day. At least do you best to wake up at the same time, no matter how long you had slept…
Put the clock away from bed, set a wake up call, ask someone to throw you out of bed, whatever you need to do to make sure you wake up on time.
Be nice to yourself, and don’t ‘beat yourself up’ when you fail to wake up, because it usually only makes things worse. Just learn from your mistakes and adjust.
Step 5: Improve Your Sleep
There are many simple things you can do to get high quality sleep, which will allow you to get more energy from less sleep…
The least you can do is:
- Stick to a consistent sleep schedule
- Avoid caffeine intake in the afternoon
- Avoid nicotine and alcohol close to bedtime
- Expose your eyes to sunlight for at least 2 hours every day
For some of my best tips for getting the most energy from your sleep – get a (FREE) copy of my Quick Start Guide to Sleep Optimization »
Step 6: Reduce Sleep Gradually
- Reduce 30-60 minutes per week (or even two). It might be hard at first. It takes 7-10 days for the body to adjust to a new sleep schedule, so hang in there.
- Don’t overdo it. Aim for 6-8 hours of sleep every night, with short (20-40 minutes) naps when needed. Getting by on 4-5 hours of sleep is possible, but should come naturally as a result of lots of other factors (like exercise, nutrition, motivation etc). Don’t set yourself up for failure.
That’s it in a nutshell. If you start following these steps, I believe you can stop oversleeping pretty soon (and when you do, please tell me about it!).
More resources to help you ‘sleep less and live more’:
- Join my (free) ‘Supercharge Your Energy’ e-course
- Check out the End Tiredness Program – a step by step guide to eliminating tiredness from your life. (Read my review)
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You'll also get the 'Supercharge Your Energy' e-course, where I show you how overcome tiredness and oversleeping, and become an 'energetic early rise'.
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sir im a engg student sleeping too much while studying during night please guide or tell me about the availability of any medicunes
Manoj, I give a lot of tips here and in my e-course. In order to give you specific advice I would need more details, such as – what do you mean by “sleeping too much” – how much? Also, I don’t recommend any medications. Not only I’m not qualified to do so, I also believe that what most people with tiredness and oversleeping problems would do better with simple lifestyle and attitude changes.
Where I live there is very minimal sun. Would the occasion sunbed session subsitiute?
Also I’m very much a night owl ever since I was a child. Up all night at literally sleep all through the day! Any tips on getting to sleep earlier?