Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsEffects of Being a Heavy SleeperHow to Wake a Heavy SleeperUnderlying CausesWays to Switch Sleeping Style
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Effects of Being a Heavy Sleeper
How to Wake a Heavy Sleeper
Underlying Causes
Ways to Switch Sleeping Style
A heavy sleeper can sleep through loud noises or disturbances that typically wake others. Being a heavy sleeper may sound like a dream if you’re a light sleeper, but it comes with challenges. Heavy sleeping can result from sleep debt (lost sleep), inadequate quality sleep, or a symptom of another medical condition. People who do shift work (e.g., working overnight from 11 pm to 7 am) or those with mental illness are at an increased risk.
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The primary effect of being a heavy sleeper is being unable to wake up when it is time
Being a heavy sleeper means that you require more stimuli to wake up.As a result of heavy sleeping, you might sleep through alarms or find waking difficult when someone shakes or moves you. Aside from the inconvenience of sleeping through alarms, heavy sleeping can pose more serious risks if you’re in a dangerous situation that requires waking up to get to safety.
The effects of being a heavy sleeper can linger even after waking up. For example,sleep inertiahappens when it takes a little while towake up fully, and sleepiness doesn’t go away right after waking up. It may include symptoms such as not performing well, being less alert, slower reaction time, and reduced cognitive function.
Sleeping next to a heavy sleeper can also be challenging. Loud or multiple alarms may be unwelcome—especially if your sleep partner wakes up earlier than you. Patience, understanding, and compromise can go a long way. Support your partner in seeking treatment for any underlying conditions contributing to heavy sleeping.
Heavy Sleep vs. Deep SleepThough “heavy sleep” and “deep sleep” are often used synonymously, they differ greatly. Deep sleep is essential to your health. During deep sleep, your heartbeat and breathing slow, your muscles relax, and your body works to enhance your blood supply and support tissue growth and repair.Conversely, heavy sleep is often a sign of an underlying condition that results in heavy sleep and adverse health outcomes.
Heavy Sleep vs. Deep Sleep
Though “heavy sleep” and “deep sleep” are often used synonymously, they differ greatly. Deep sleep is essential to your health. During deep sleep, your heartbeat and breathing slow, your muscles relax, and your body works to enhance your blood supply and support tissue growth and repair.Conversely, heavy sleep is often a sign of an underlying condition that results in heavy sleep and adverse health outcomes.
There are various options for waking a heavy sleeper. Choosing the right one for you (or your sleeping partner) may take trial and error. Some things to try include:
Unless you’re significantlysleep-deprived, the lingering effects of being a heavy sleeper after waking up, such as sleep inertia, generally disappear within 30 minutes.
Since heavy sleeping is often the symptom of underlying health conditions, such as depression and hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness), one of the best long-term strategies for waking a heavy sleeper is to ensure they’re receiving adequate treatment for any related health conditions. Being a heavy sleeper is not permanent. There are ways to address health concerns and improve sleep quality naturally and with medical treatment.
A Word From VerywellIf you or your bed partner is a heavy sleeper who snores, consider being evaluated for [a type of sleep apnea that causes breathing disruptions called] obstructive sleep apnea —particularly if you are tired throughout the day. Being overweight may also increase your risk of having obstructive sleep apnea.—DANIEL COMBS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
If you or your bed partner is a heavy sleeper who snores, consider being evaluated for [a type of sleep apnea that causes breathing disruptions called] obstructive sleep apnea —particularly if you are tired throughout the day. Being overweight may also increase your risk of having obstructive sleep apnea.—DANIEL COMBS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
If you or your bed partner is a heavy sleeper who snores, consider being evaluated for [a type of sleep apnea that causes breathing disruptions called] obstructive sleep apnea —particularly if you are tired throughout the day. Being overweight may also increase your risk of having obstructive sleep apnea.
—DANIEL COMBS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
How to Make Waking Up Easier in the Morning
Underlying Causes of Heavy Sleep
What’s Not Serious
What Needs a Diagnosis and Treatment
Heavy sleeping can indicate your body needs better quality or an increased quantity of total sleep. In addition to the safety risks ofdaytime drowsiness, there are medical concerns that cause heavy sleeping. These conditions often require a diagnosis and treatment.
For example,insomniamay seem like a condition associated with light sleep, and it can be. However, it can also lead to heavy sleep when it shortens sleep time. If insomnia delays or interrupts sleep for a few hours, and the alarm clock goes off after a short sleep, waking up can be very difficult.
Medical conditions associated with heavy sleeping that may require diagnosis and treatment include:
Implementing good sleep habits is a great place to start switching your sleep style. Habits include:
Additionally, switching from a heavy sleep style to a lighter one depends on the cause of the heavy sleep.
First Step to Better Sleep: Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day
Summary
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Trotti LM.Waking up is the hardest thing I do all day: sleep inertia and sleep drunkenness.Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2017;35:76-84. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.08.005Sleep Foundation.Light sleeper: what it means and what to do about it.Hilditch CJ, McHill AW.Sleep inertia: current insights.Nat Sci Sleep. 2019;11:155-165. doi:10.2147/NSS.S188911.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What happens during sleep?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.NIOSH training for nurses on shift work and long work hours.Johns Hopkins Medicine.The effects of sleep deprivation.Sleep Foundation.Medical and brain conditions that cause excessive sleepiness.Sleep Foundation.Mastering sleep hygiene: your path to quality sleep.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Trotti LM.Waking up is the hardest thing I do all day: sleep inertia and sleep drunkenness.Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2017;35:76-84. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.08.005Sleep Foundation.Light sleeper: what it means and what to do about it.Hilditch CJ, McHill AW.Sleep inertia: current insights.Nat Sci Sleep. 2019;11:155-165. doi:10.2147/NSS.S188911.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What happens during sleep?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.NIOSH training for nurses on shift work and long work hours.Johns Hopkins Medicine.The effects of sleep deprivation.Sleep Foundation.Medical and brain conditions that cause excessive sleepiness.Sleep Foundation.Mastering sleep hygiene: your path to quality sleep.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Trotti LM.Waking up is the hardest thing I do all day: sleep inertia and sleep drunkenness.Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2017;35:76-84. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.08.005Sleep Foundation.Light sleeper: what it means and what to do about it.Hilditch CJ, McHill AW.Sleep inertia: current insights.Nat Sci Sleep. 2019;11:155-165. doi:10.2147/NSS.S188911.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What happens during sleep?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.NIOSH training for nurses on shift work and long work hours.Johns Hopkins Medicine.The effects of sleep deprivation.Sleep Foundation.Medical and brain conditions that cause excessive sleepiness.Sleep Foundation.Mastering sleep hygiene: your path to quality sleep.
Trotti LM.Waking up is the hardest thing I do all day: sleep inertia and sleep drunkenness.Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2017;35:76-84. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.08.005
Sleep Foundation.Light sleeper: what it means and what to do about it.
Hilditch CJ, McHill AW.Sleep inertia: current insights.Nat Sci Sleep. 2019;11:155-165. doi:10.2147/NSS.S188911.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What happens during sleep?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.NIOSH training for nurses on shift work and long work hours.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.The effects of sleep deprivation.
Sleep Foundation.Medical and brain conditions that cause excessive sleepiness.
Sleep Foundation.Mastering sleep hygiene: your path to quality sleep.
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