Many adults aren’t getting enough sleep, which can make hitting the snooze button in the morning very tempting. This often results in oversleeping and lateness and sometimes even leads to neglected responsibilities and missed important life moments .
As it happened to this woman, who kept oversleeping on a tour through Sicily, which forced the tour guide to leave her behind. Because of it, she missed an entire day of sightseeing and became infuriated, blaming the tour guide for abandoning her.
Oversleeping can sometimes lead to missing important life moments
Group of tourists wearing headsets listening to their guide during a city tour, tourists discuss after one overslept three days in a row.
As it happened to this woman, who missed sightseeing in Sicily because she failed to wake up on time
Tourist oversleeps multiple days on guided Sicily trip, blames tour guide for not waking her on time.
Tour guide explaining departure times and providing schedules to tourists to prevent oversleeping during trips.
Text showing a tour guide addressing a group about punctuality and tolerating lateness up to 15 minutes only.
Tourists seated inside a tour bus on a rocky landscape, highlighting a guide-led travel experience.
Text describing a tourist arriving late after oversleeping, with a guide nearly leaving without her.
Message about not waiting for late tourists and their responsibility to wake up on time during a guided tour.
Text excerpt from a tourist blaming guide after oversleeping three days in a row, discussing wake-up responsibilities.
Text excerpt about a tourist missing a group tour, blaming the guide for not waking her during a trip.
Woman with curly hair wearing rings and a sweater talking on the phone in an outdoor forest setting, tourist concept.
Text on a white background describing a tourist oversleeping and blaming the guide for missing a day trip and leaving a bad review.
Text image showing a question about not personally waking up a grown woman despite multiple warnings.
Text screenshot discussing a manager deleting a negative review about a tourist oversleeping and blaming guide for not waking her.
Adults who are in sleep debt are more likely to oversleep
More than ⅓ of adults sleep less than recommended, which is approximately 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. This may put them into sleep debt or sleep deficit, which can make it harder for a person to wake up in the morning and feel more tempted to hit the snooze button.
In fact, one study found that 57% of their participants were habitual snoozers—showing just how common it is. “So many people are snoozing because so many people are chronically tired,” said Stephen Mattingly, lead author of the study. “If 1 in 3 people aren’t sleeping adequately, that means a lot of us are turning to other means to manage fatigue.”
In some cases, snoozing and oversleeping may simply be the result of catching up on sleep, especially when a person is in a sleep debt because they stayed up late due to various reasons. But when oversleeping becomes a frequent occurrence, more serious causes can be hidden behind the scenes, such as sleep disorders, depression, or taking certain medications and substances.
It’s important to have a regular sleep schedule and avoid chronic oversleeping, as it can not only result in lateness, neglected responsibilities, or missed important life moments and opportunities but also have a negative impact on our mental and physical health.
“Sleeping too much to the extent that it makes someone socially dysfunctional, disrupts routine and causes avoidance of routine activities, could be a serious underlying issue,” said Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani, professor of public health at New Mexico State University. “Just like sleep deprivation, oversleeping is associated with heart disease, obesity and chronic diseases, and mental health issues.”
Tourist oversleeps in bed reaching to stop alarm clock, blaming guide for not waking her on multiple days.
Embracing a few healthy habits can help regulate a sleep schedule
If a person doesn’t have underlying health issues, there are a few habits that can regulate their sleep schedule and help them wake up more easily in the morning. The first and most important thing that experts recommend is having a consistent sleep schedule. This means going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Avoiding staying up late and oversleeping can help to re-establish a healthy, natural sleep routine.
Something that can help to maintain the routine is getting as much daylight in the first half of the day as possible by taking a morning walk or trying to spend more time near a window. Also, try dimming the lights in the evening and avoid being on the phone before your bedtime. The light can disrupt your rest, while a dim environment sends signals to the brain that it’s time to sleep, which may help you fall asleep and wake up earlier.
In addition, creating a relaxing bedtime routine that involves something enjoyable and opting out of screens may help to wind down and improve sleep quality, and make waking up easier. It should include calming activities, like listening to soothing music, journaling, having a bath, or meditating.
An extra tip that might aid in keeping up a healthy sleeping routine is going to bed when you feel sleepy. If you get into bed at a certain time because you want to fall asleep and you don’t doze off right away, lying awake may add to anxiety and insomnia. Instead, wait for the drowsiness to come and then get into bed—this can contribute to keeping a regular wake time, too.
The last trick that may leave oversleeping in the past is changing up your alarm. Once you get used to the sound of your alarm, you might start to tune it out. Switching it up can help you pay more attention to it. If that doesn’t work, try using an alarm clock that isn’t integrated into your phone. Studies have shown that people who use a physical alarm clock tend to oversleep less than those who use their smartphones.
Some commenters were on the guide’s side
Screenshot of an online comment about a tourist oversleeping and blaming the guide for not waking her during the trip.
User comment about tourist oversleeping, expressing frustration over wasted time and advice to set an alarm when traveling with a guide.
Comment discussing a tardy tourist and the issue of oversleeping during a guided tour, debating responsibility for waking her.
Comment discussing a tourist oversleeping repeatedly and blaming the guide for not waking her during a group tour.
Comment on a forum discussing a tourist oversleeping three days and blaming the guide for not waking her up.
Screenshot of an online forum discussing a tourist oversleeping multiple days and blaming the guide for not waking her.
Screenshot of a forum comment discussing a tourist oversleeping multiple days and blaming the guide for not waking her.
Screenshot of a forum comment about a tourist oversleeping and the frustration it causes on organized tours.
Screenshot of a forum comment discussing a tourist oversleeping and causing delays on a guided tour.
Comment discussing a tourist oversleeping multiple days and blaming the guide for not waking her on holiday.
Comment criticizing entitled tourist oversleeping three days, blaming guide for not waking her on a tour.
Screenshot of an online comment discussing a tourist oversleeping multiple days and blaming the guide for not waking her.
Reddit comment discussing a tourist oversleeping repeatedly and blaming the guide for not waking her.
Screenshot of a forum comment discussing a tourist who oversleeps three days and blames the guide for not waking her.
Comment discussing a tourist who oversleeps repeatedly, blaming guide for not waking her during the tour.
Screenshot of an online comment discussing a tourist who oversleeps three days in a row and blames the guide for it.
Comment on a forum post discussing a tourist oversleeping multiple days and blaming the guide for not waking her up.
Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a tourist oversleeping and blaming the guide for not waking her.
Reddit comment discussing a tourist oversleeping multiple days and blaming the guide for not waking her up.
Reddit comment discussing a tourist who oversleeps multiple days and blames the guide for not waking her.
Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a frequent traveler addressing a tourist who oversleeps and inconveniences others.
Comment from user bethika6 explaining personal responsibility for oversleeping and rejecting blame on others for waking her.
Comment discussing a tourist who oversleeps multiple days and blames her guide for not waking her during a trip.
Others thought it was both of their fault
Reddit conversation discussing responsibility in cases where a tourist oversleeps and the guide does not wake her.
While some blamed the guide
Comment from user fugensnot criticizing a tourist who oversleeps and blames their guide during a group tour.
Comment discussing tourist oversleeping and guide’s role in waking her, highlighting frustration and overreaction in travel situation.
Comment from user emphasizing the role of tour guide in customer service for tourist oversleeping and blaming guide.
Comment discussing hospitality and responsibility in helping a tourist who oversleeps and blames the guide.
Later, the guide also answered some of the most burning commenters’ questions
Reddit user provides detailed info on tourist oversleeping and hotel wake-up calls during guided tour in Bulgaria and Sicily.
Text excerpt discussing a tourist who oversleeps multiple days and blames the guide for not waking her.
Screenshot of a text explaining anxiety about leaving a tourist behind and concerns about group impressions and advice.
Text excerpt discussing a tourist oversleeping issues, refund likelihood, and sleep disorder accommodations in a travel context.
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