What wouldn't we give to enjoy sufficient amounts of sleep, not for one day but for every day of the week? Believe it or not there are many who do, and they overdo it a tad too much. There are people who oversleep without a worry in the world. Of course the real problem arises when they wake up and find that all their work is behind schedule! Oversleeping is turning into a major disorder of sorts, because it is hampering the professional lives of many, especially those whose jobs have been put at stake. No boss would appreciate or accept late coming and negligence at work, at least not after the first few warnings. Nor can family be sustained without being able to spend quality time with the other members, if one of them keeps sleeping all day long. On the personal front, contrary to popular beliefs, oversleeping is not a healthy habit and is not considered normal. Causes of Oversleeping #1 - Stress Many a time, both children and adults try to evade their tensions by sleeping. It is very common to find children oversleeping before an exam, because they are stressed and do not want to study. Adults do the same when they want to avoid thinking about a stressful issue which needs to be solved. #2 - Depression Oversleeping has a lot to do with depression than we would like to believe. When we are depressed we would do anything to evade the subject and try to keep ourselves away from our sorrows. The mind becomes exhausted and therefore tries to seek rest through excessive sleep. However, oversleeping only makes things worse for such people and they feel even more gloomy after they wake up. #3 - Boredom Many a time, both young and old people oversleep, simply because they do not have anything better to do. They lack the will to chalk out their day's goals, which is why they have so much of free time at hand. These people usually wake up late and sleep even later. Their day goes by without much activity except maybe watching the TV or playing computer games and eating. #4 - Habit Some people oversleep simply because they are habituated to it, like people who work from home or do not choose to be employed. Young children of whose, such habits have been neglected by parents and people with odd working hours, often end up oversleeping because they know they can afford it and can get away with their habit. People who have addictions, such as alcoholism and drug abuse, often sleep for many hours because they are intoxicated and drowsy most of the time. #5 - Health Conditions There could be some underlying causes of sleeping too much. Sleeping disorders such as Sleep Apnea or a neurological disorder known as Narcolepsy, cause a person to oversleep. People who are on strong medication, over a prolonged period of time or have health issues may feel more exhausted than usual. People who work throughout the week and are often overworking, may end up sleeping the entire weekend so as to compensate for their lack of rest and sleep. Tips to Stop Oversleeping #1 - Alarm Yourself! During the initial phase, waking up through sheer will or promising yourself, does not usually work. You'll need to buy a lot of loud and annoying alarm clocks. The noisier the better. Now place these alarm clocks far away from your bed and as far away from your reach as possible. Set the alarm on every clock at a 1 - 2 minute variation. This way, when it's time to wake up, the alarm clocks will ring one after another, and ensure that you wake up from all that noise. There is no doubt that you'll wake up with a foul mood, but once you realize that this is good for your health, you'll begin to feel much better about yourself. A sleep of 6 - 7 hours is adequate for all normal human beings, which is why you must time these many hours, before you set the alarm. #2 - Stop Loving Your Sleep! You will need to revamp the way you feel about sleeping. You will need to stop enjoying the many hours of useless slumber. You have to realize that oversleeping will make you fall ill and cause more health problems than you can handle at one time. Heart diseases, headaches, backaches, weak muscles, constipation, bloating, and obesity are all symptoms and side effects of sleeping too much. #3 - Prioritize Your Life Now! You will need to steel yourself and tell yourself that oversleeping is not what you wish for and that you would like to lead a normal healthy life. For doing so, you will need to make an itinerary of your day from the start to the end. You will need to make a plan which should ideally begin with some form of physical exercise. Try to join a gym or some form of classes which teach dance, yoga or karate lessons. Make up your mind that you will wake up on time every day from this moment onwards. #4 - Slow and Steady You cannot just decide to wake up on time one fine day. This process takes time, and you will need to be patient. You will need to try waking up earlier than your usual time, and gradually decrease the number of hours you spend sleeping. This will take a month or two, but eventually your mind will get used to a specific time early in the morning and will automatically wake you up. #5 - Sleep Properly Set your sleep cycle on a 7 hour schedule. Which means that if you are to wake up at 6:30 am, then you must ideally be asleep by 11:30 pm. Do not compromise for anything, because at the end of the day, it is you who has to overcome your sleeping disorder and not the people you party with, until late nights. If after all these measures, you still can't wake up, you may be suffering from a health condition of some sort. Get yourself checked for sleep disorders as well, so that all your doubts may be cleared once and for all.