Can you oversleep when sick?

In this article:

• Why more sleep isn’t the cure-all
• Sleep and the immune system
• Risks of too much sleep
• Tips for navigating sleep and recovery
• Finding the balance

In this article

• Why more sleep isn’t the cure-all
• Sleep and the immune system
• Risks of too much sleep
• Tips for navigating sleep and recovery
• Finding the balance

When you come down with a virus or other illness, your body craves sleep. It wants you to close the curtains, curl up in bed, and snooze until your symptoms improve. This makes sense. Your immune system is working overtime to fight those germs, using up a lot of extra energy. Plus, your body needs rest to heal, so there’s a good chance your craving for sleep time is your body’s way of telling you what it needs when you’re under the weather.

Unfortunately, there is such a thing as too much sleep, even when you’re sick. Instead of sleeping the day away, it’s better to find a healthy balance between rest and gentle activity. Here’s why that balance is important, and how it can help you feel better faster.

Why more sleep isn’t always a cure-all when you’re sick 

Getting plenty of rest is one of the quickest ways to speed up the recovery process when you’re sick, but too many hours of sleep can also be harmful to your health. This is called the “paradox of rest,” which is a fancy way of saying that too much of a good thing isn’t actually good at all.

“The ‘paradox of rest’ refers to the idea that while rest is essential for recovery, too much of it, or the wrong kind, can actually delay healing, especially during illness,” says Chris Allen, MD, sleep expert and pediatric neurologist with Quality Sleep and Neurology in Michigan.

It’s not just about how much rest you get, adds Dr. Allen, but about getting the right kind of rest at the right time (more on that later!).

How does sleep help your immune system?

Don’t get the wrong impression: Sleep is good for you, especially when you’re fighting an illness.

“Sleep is one of the most powerful immune boosters we have,” says Dr. Allen. “High-quality sleep [like deep sleep] strengthens your immune response and helps you recover faster when you’re sick.”

Your already-hardworking immune system goes into overdrive during periods of sleep, says Dr. Allen, ramping up production of cytokines (proteins that help fight infection and inflammation), supporting the creation of T-cells, which are essential for immune defense, and enhancing the body’s ability to produce antibodies against the germs making you sick. 

When too much sleep becomes counterproductive

If sleep is good for you, why is it potentially harmful to get too much? There are several reasons:

• It disrupts your circadian rhythm. According to Dr. Allen, lying in bed all day or staying in a dark room for long stretches of time can mess with your body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that helps it tell day from night. This makes it harder to fall asleep at night and stay awake during the day, he explains, and can lead to daytime grogginess.
• It decreases your muscle strength and energy. Too much bed rest can weaken muscles, stiffen joints, worsen your fatigue, and even increase pain, says Yoshua Quinones, MD, internist with Medical Offices of Manhattan.
• It lowers your mood. Oversleeping or spending too much time in bed can contribute to a decline in mental health, per Dr. Quinones, causing mood swings, anxiety, or brain fog—all of which could even delay your recovery.
• It could make you sicker. Too much rest, particularly if you have any kind of respiratory illness, could make your symptoms worse, says Dr. Allen: “Lying down too much can reduce lung expansion and increase the risk of complications like pneumonia.”

Tips for navigating sleep while sick 

Get enough sleep…but not too much! Here’s how to approach getting a healthy amount of sleep when you’re sick.

Prioritize nighttime sleep

Nighttime sleep is when your immune system does the bulk of its work, so while a little daytime napping is okay, it’s important not to overdo it. Dr. Allen says that sleeping 7 to 9 hours at night will help your immune system perform at its best. During the day, limit naps to 20 to 30 minutes to avoid interfering with your circadian rhythm and disrupting a good night’s sleep.

Practice “active rest”

If you do intense workouts five days a week and gentle yoga the other two, you’re practicing the theory of “active rest.” You’re taking it easy, but instead of being totally inactive (passive rest), you’re encouraging faster recovery by promoting blood flow and keeping your muscles loose.  

Active rest can also encourage faster recovery from illness, says Regina DePietro, MD, a family medicine physician at the University of Missouri Health Care, explaining that it helps maintain heart and musculoskeletal function, supports normal sleep-wake cycles, and decreases the effects of illness on muscles, preventing weakness and soreness. 

Obviously, there are times when you should stay inside and keep your activity to a minimum (like if you have a fever or chest cough), but some light exercise during a minor illness like the common cold is generally considered safe.

Don’t neglect your mental health

Active rest is a concept that can have some serious mental health benefits, too, says Stacy Shaw, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychological and cognitive science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She says it’s good to rest your brain during an illness by limiting mental stress, but that doesn’t usually mean spending hours zoning out on devices.

“Oftentimes, mindlessly scrolling on our phones or watching the news doesn’t do much to reduce stress, because for many people it doesn’t leave them feeling restored or energized afterwards,” says Dr. Shaw, whose current research suggests people feel better when they engage in activities they find satisfying and enjoyable, like doing something creative, playing a game, going for a walk, or listening to music.

Regularly get out of bed

We know it’s warm and cozy in there, but getting out of bed throughout the day is beneficial, says Dr. Allen: “Even small movements like stretching, walking around your home, or sitting upright can help circulation and mental clarity.”

Try to eat meals sitting at your kitchen table, not in bed, and plan movement breaks every hour, if possible. 

Expose yourself to natural light

Natural light plays a major role in regulating your circadian rhythm, so it’s important to get a daily dose of daylight when you’re feeling under the weather. This is especially true if you’re not sleeping on your usual schedule or taking any naps during the day. Dr. Allen suggests opening your blinds or even going outside for at least 15 minutes each morning to reset your body clock. 

On the flip side, try to limit your exposure to light in the evening hours by turning off TVs, phones, and tablets a few hours before bedtime. Practicing good sleep hygiene, such as sleeping in a cold, dark room and making sure your bedroom is a quiet, comfortable environment, keeping a regular sleep/wake schedule, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol at night, helps ensure your sleep is restorative.

Listen to your body and mind

Listening to your body means sleeping when you feel tired and getting up when you have some energy, but this doesn’t come naturally to everyone. To make things more complicated, Dr. Shaw says there are times when we need to listen not just to our body, but also our mind: for example, your body is telling you to stay in bed, but your mind says you’ll feel better after some light movement.

“Research shows that behaviors can effectively change feelings—oftentimes more than feelings can change behaviors,” Dr. Shaw explains. “This means that during recovery, if your doctor is encouraging you to get up and move around a little, your body doesn’t have to feel totally up for it before starting.”

How do you know if you should listen more to your body or your brain? Through experimentation.

“What happens if you take another nap—do you feel better or worse? How do you feel if you get up and move even when you feel like lying down more—better or worse? The more we experiment and pay attention to what we think and how we feel…the better prepared we are to learn when to listen to our bodies and when to listen to our minds,” says Dr. Shaw.

The sweet spot between rest and recovery

Now that you know too much rest could be harmful, it’s time to strike that just-right balance between rest and recovery. Ideally, this looks like alternating between nighttime sleep and low-key daytime activities that let you rest and recover, promoting physical and mental health:

• If you can tolerate it, get regular, gentle movement
• Keep your brain sharp with social or creative activities like calling a friend, working on a hobby, or doing a puzzle
• Limit passive activities like watching TV or scrolling on your phone 

Most adults can stick to their usual sleep schedule, says Dr. DePietro, while adding in a modest amount of extra sleep and scaling back their physical and emotional load. Use your symptoms—not the clock—to guide your activities and recovery, she adds.  

You will always find the sweet spot, says Dr. Quinones, if you listen to your body: “Rest when you’re tired, move when you’re able, and stop whenever you feel like your symptoms are getting worse.”

If you’re excessively tired or feel like your symptoms aren’t improving after a reasonable amount of time—typically 7 to 10 days, but this varies by illness—reach out to your healthcare provider. They may want to see you for an in-person appointment.

“Fatigue during illness is normal, but extreme oversleeping (more than 10 hours a day for multiple days) may signal that something else—like depression, medication side effects, or a sleep disorder—is at play,” says Dr. Allen. If you’re struggling to get sleep due to health problems like hypersomnia (sleepiness that occurs randomly even when you get enough sleep), sleep apnea (often caused by inflamed nasal passages), or insomnia, ask a healthcare provider for medical advice.

They can provide sleep tips, such as sleeping with a humidifier, changing your sleeping position, or tweaking your sleeping environment. Seek your provider’s advice before using over-the-counter sleep aids, such as melatonin or Unisom. Remember, lack of sleep can increase your risk of heart disease and obesity. On the flip side, sufficient rest improves your overall wellness—so be sure to prioritize your sleep needs.