SERIOUSLY FED UP of deep sleeper

[Daffodilsandeastereggs]

I’ve always been a deep sleeper. I can go to sleep almost immediately, regardless of where I am and what time of day it is. I could have had 12 hours of sleep and be well rested but it won’t make a difference. If I lay down on the cold kitchen floor in the middle of the afternoon, I’d be asleep almost immediately. I can go to sleep on buses/trains/cars/planes- as soon as I close my eyes and try to sleep, I can just sleep within minutes.

I don’t ever fall asleep unintentionally, it’s just if I close my eyes and try to sleep I can do it immediately no matter where I am or what time of day it is!

I’ve always been grateful to be such a good sleeper and to never have problems going to sleep, but my problem is getting up in the morning! I’m such a deep sleeper that I sleep through everything. If I sleep in the living room, hoovering around me doesn’t wake me up. Neither does the tv, or any sort of normal noise. Unfortunately this includes an alarm clock. I still live at home with my family (I’m in my early 20s) and my parents wake me up for work- I would never ask or expect them to as it’s not their responsibility at my age, but they’re up before me anyway as they are naturally early birds and say they don’t mind as realistically my alarm won’t wake me up- but I feel bad about it.

It’s not that I wake up and snooze my alarm- it doesn’t wake me up at all, I just sleep through the noise. It’s a really loud alarm but nothing wakes me up unless someone seriously shouts my name or shakes me awake. The alarm would just ring for hours and I’ll just sleep on through it.

Obviously I’m not going to live at home forever, but I’m genuinely concerned about sleeping through my alarm when I move out. Does anyone have any advice on how to stop being such a deep sleeper or how to train myself to wake up to noise?

Thanks in advance 🥰

Would a watch with a vibrating alarm make any difference?

You can get vibrating pads that go under your pillow as an alarm clock - I think they're designed for deaf people. That might be more effective than sound?

I use my fitbit alarm - the vibration works better for me, plus it goes off when it detects I'm in light sleep so it doesn't attempt to pull me out of a dead slumber.

Is this a new thing, or something since childhood?
Have you been thoroughly investigated for deficiencies like anaemia, Vit D or thyroid issues? Has a sleep study for narcolepsy or sleep apnoea been done?

I was a very heavy sleeper although I didn't go to sleep easily. Once I was asleep I slept through anything.
I did worry about getting up for work but when I lived by myself and had to for work, I did wake up. If I know there's a safety net I don't.

An alarm clock so loud where you have to get out of bed to turn it off.

I'm a bit concerned about the fact you can go to sleep immediately - that's often a symptom of sleep issues.

Have you been tested?

Thanks for the suggestions🥰 I’ve tried a vibrating watch already but I’ll look into the pads for under my pillow! I hope that when I do finally move out my body will adjust and will wake up as I’ll know I don’t have anyone to wake me up but I’m so worried it won’t- nothing seems to wake me up. I’m also a sleep walker and talker too! Once I go into a sleep it’s like nothing can get me up!

No advice.... just massively jealous 🤣

I’m a deep sleeper, I’m the one that sleeps through the DC waking in the night rather than my DH!
I find the alarm on my watch that vibrates and rings works best for me.
I’m the same as you though, could pretty much shut my eyes anytime, anywhere and fall asleep

I think you should speak with your GP, this doesn't sound normal.

Oh I had never considered it could be abnormal 😮 I’ve always just been like this. I don’t fall asleep accidentally or unintentionally, but I can almost guarantee that no matter where I am or what time it is, if I close my eyes and go to sleep I’ll be sleeping in seconds, or minutes at the most. I’ve always been grateful to be such a good sleeper!

If someone shakes me awake and properly shouts at me then I’ll wake up, and I do sometimes just naturally wake up by myself, but I can’t wake myself up with an alarm or anything myself if that makes sense. If I’m going to be woken up, it needs to be with something VERY loud or else my body just ignores it.

A few days ago I fell asleep in the living room during the day for a few hours and slept through the loud tv and the rest of my family coming in and out the room (as well as hoovering etc). In the past I’ve slept through the smoke alarm (luckily it was just burnt toast!) but I didn’t stir at all.

I'm not quite as easy to go to sleep as you op, in that I couldn't just sleep in the middle of the day for instance - but I never have trouble going to sleep at night and never ever wake up in the night (not for a drink, a wee, not even when pregnant. I seriously don't think waking up at night for a wee has ever happened to me, when I get up in the morning sometimes I'm bursting to the point of being in serious pain).

When I sleep I sleep like the dead...noise, movement, alarms, nothing wakes me. It makes no difference if I'm well rested, went to bed early, whatever...14 hours later I'll still be going strong. I never wake naturally and I've been this way for years - with the exceptions of when we had a baby x 3. I never had an issue waking up for a baby cry and would wake instantly which indicates I'm obviously capable of it. However I don't wake up to youngest now who's 4 and I'm not sure exactly when this 'turned off' again - but if he wakes in the night because of a nightmare or he's been sick or whatever, it's dh that wakes up.

I have to be shaken awake which DH does every morning. It takes a couple of minutes sometimes of shaking and shouting. We've argued over it in the past when he gets grumpy with it.

When I'm awake, I feel well rested, it doesn't take me long to come around. Otherwise fit and healthy. I've never really thought of it being something actually medical wrong but after writing all that now I wonder if it is.

Try completing the Epworth Sleepiness scale and see where you score. My partner has just been referred to a sleep clinic (we are not in UK) and it was used to help determine whether he qualified for funding for his referral. It's used to help assess whether you have sleep apnea (in addition to observational data etc).

www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-osa/diagnosis/epworth-sleepiness-scale

It's a genetic thing to be sleeping heavy like this. You probably have the ADA gene variant that causes you to spend more time in deep slow wave sleep and have increased sleep spindles than others!