DR. WALLACE: For the past few months, I have found myself oversleeping on a daily basis. I set my alarm eight hours from the time that I go to bed, but every time it goes off in the morning, I snooze it for at least an hour. I’ve tried putting my alarm across the room from me so that I have to physically get out of bed in order to turn it off, but even then, I will crawl back into bed after silencing it and continue to sleep.
Falling into this bad habit has made my daily life difficult. I am constantly in a rush to get to work each morning and have little time to myself as a result. Additionally, I have found myself falling behind on tasks and procrastinating on chores around the house because I can’t find enough time to follow them through to completion. I just don’t understand why it is so difficult for me to get up every morning even after getting eight hours of sleep. Shouldn’t I wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated? — Sleepyhead, via email
SLEEPYHEAD: I am glad to hear that you are aiming to get eight hours of sleep every night, as that is what you should strive for to maintain good health. I agree, however, that sleeping beyond eight hours each day is excessive and likely to negatively impact your life.
Sometimes, oversleeping can be indicative of a larger issue at hand, such as a mental health disorder or a sleep disorder. If you find that you are still chronically oversleeping even while practicing good sleep hygiene and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, I recommend consulting your primary care physician. It is possible that you may be suffering from depression and anxiety in ways that may not be obvious to you, or you might need to participate in a sleep study to determine if you have a sleep disorder.
One thing I can say, however, without knowing the specifics of your case, is that most people have a hard time waking up in the morning even after getting a full night’s sleep. Not snoozing the alarm is a difficult habit to develop and requires tolerating a certain degree of discomfort. It is very normal to still feel tired and tempted to crawl back into bed when your alarm goes off, and, to a certain extent, you will have to force yourself to stay awake and start your day if you want to make better use of your time. If a mental health disorder or sleep disorder is not the cause of your issue, I recommend that you make drinking a full glass of water and getting outside for a few minutes the first things you do each morning. Flushing your system with water and exposing yourself to natural sunlight should help to naturally wake your body and prepare you for a full day of activity.
I’M REQUESTING IDEAS FOR SCIENCE APPS!
DR. WALLACE: Do you know of any good apps for learning science? I’m struggling in my high school science class and can’t afford a tutor!
I’m usually a pretty good student in most of my classes, but for some reason, I seem to really struggle when it comes to the sciences.
Any suggestions you can offer would be most welcome and appreciated! — Scientifically challenged student, via email
SCIENTIFICALLY CHALLENGED STUDENT: My wonderful staff has located a few apps from Mobile Guardian that you may find useful.
Amazing Science Facts covers physics, chemistry and the natural sciences. Another useful one is Periodic Table 2019. Much of science revolves around the elements, and here you can sort them by group or even search for and learn about them individually.
Physics Studio is an app that brings the world of physics to life in a virtual lab. Here you can engage in experiments and be able to take a close look at why things happen as they do in the scientific world.
Give these a try. Good luck with your studies!
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected] To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
