I have noticed that I've been very irritable the past few days. I'm not sure if I'm PMSing or not. I've been getting a LOT of sleep lately. Usually I go to bed between 10 and 11 on school nights. This week I have gone to bed at 9-9:30 every night! I wake up at 5:40 or 6 in the morning, depending if I showered at night or not. Last night it snowed big time so we don't have school today - I slept from 9 PM until 9:30 AM. Really shouldn't have but I didn't know I was going to sleep that long. Here's my daily weekday routine:

- Wake up around 5:40
- Go to school.
- Cheerleading after school, whether it's a game or practice. If not cheerleading, it's always something.
- Run 1 or 2 miles depending on time constraints.
- Homework
- Sleep (like I said 9-9:30 this week, usually 10 to 11 PM!)

Am I getting too MUCH sleep this week?! Yesterday I didn't even have the desire to run after going from cheerleading, home for dinner, to a schoolboard meeting and getting back around 7:30. I had been going for 12 hours but that's not anything new.

I'm not sure if getting a max of 9 hours a night will harm you, but I'm pretty sure that the twelve hours isn't very good for you.

I hope someone who knows more about this will answer, because I'm very interested. I have mild sleep apnea, so I tend to get at least 9 hours if I have an option. If my sleep is interrupted for longer than 10 minutes, I'll tend to get even more.

I have a feeling I getting much more than I need, but I get really depressed if I don't have enough.

I don't think there has ever been a case off too much sleep being an issue, if you are feeling alert and awake when you are up and about then its cool.

Try and follow your own bodies natural 'flow' and it will work out.

you fall asleep in 20 minute cycles, sort of like this

awake-----dozy-----sleep---deep sleep ------dozy---awake (though you may not remember you woke)

if you want to try and get the best sleep possible, work back in twenty minute cycles from when you what to get up and aim to get to bed about then.

Also after the week you have its only natural that you body may want some extra 'me' time and sleep longer and deeper therefore if it was a natural sleep ie you weren't drinking or taking any aids to sleep it is ok.

The MOST important thing for good sleep and general health is a routine. Don't stay up to 3am and go to bed at 8pm the next night and think it makes up for it.

as you can tell I like sleep....its good...its time for our body to rest and mind to relax.....

I'm assuming from the content of your post that you're a teenager. If so, please sleep as much as your body wants; you are still growing, and you need a lot of sleep at this point in your life. 10 to 12 hours is very normal and healthy for a teen.

As you've noted, you probably also find that at different points of your cycle, you want different amounts of sleep. That is totally normal.

Not taking in enough 'fuel' can cause tiredness, I think. As if your body needed to conserve energy.

But one long night? Maybe you were just sleeping. Nothing sinister.

Check to make sure you're getting enough food into you for all those activites. But if it doesn't happen again??? don't worry about it.

Oh say ... I had another idea. I used to take tylenol for menstrual cramps, it makes me sleepy.

Ditto on that.

Yes to what WarMaiden posted.

The book "Sleepless in America" by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka is a great book on sleep for all age ranges, I checked it out from the library a few months ago.

We are a sleep deprived society. We get WAY less than we should. 12 hours is not going to hurt you. Sleep on!!!