The Health Risks of Sleeping Too Much

By Dr. Kristie

Most people complain that they don’t get enough sleep. In this complicated, fast paced world is it any surprise that so many people are sleep deprived? On the other hand, getting too much sleep can be harmful too. It turns out that there are health risks associated with sleeping too much, just as there is from sleeping too little. From a health standpoint, spending too much time in dreamland isn’t always a good thing.

Effects of Sleeping Too Much: How Much is Best?

Have you ever noticed when you get too much sleep, you feel tired and sluggish? This is a common side effect of sleeping too much. Although you might think that sleeping longer would decrease fatigue and make it easier to hop out of bed in the morning, there seems to be a certain amount of sleep that’s optimal for each individual. When this amount of sleep is exceeded, it leads to more fatigue rather than less. The best way to find out how much sleep is best is to keep a sleep diary for several weeks. When most people do this, they discover that between seven and eight hours is best for them.

Effects of Sleeping Too Much: A Study

The effects of too sleeping too much may be more serious than just feeling tired the next day. A study presented at the British Sleep Society meeting in 2007 showed that too little sleep, but also too much sleep increased overall death rate. In fact, individuals who increased their sleep duration from seven hours to eight hours or more had twice the overall mortality rate of those who slept seven hours a night.

Getting too much sleep has also been associated with a higher risk of diabetes, heart attack, and obesity – although the risk of these diseases doesn’t go up until sleep durations increase to nine hours or more. The effects of too much sleep also include worsening of depression symptoms. In fact, some studies have shown that sleep deprivation actually helps to improve the mood of depressed people. Sleeping too long increases the level of certain neurotransmitters in the brain leading to a headache in some people; and being immobile also increases joint and muscle stiffness in people with back pain or arthritis. Sleeping too much does appear to have its drawbacks.

It’s Important to Understand Why

It’s important to understand why a person is sleeping too much. Certain medical conditions and diseases such as sleep apnea, depression, and diseases that cause fatigue such as metabolic problems, autoimmune diseases, and cancer can cause a person to sleep more than usual. That’s why it’s important to seek medical attention if sleeping too much becomes a problem.

The Effects of Too Much Sleep: The Bottom Line?

Most research suggests that around seven hours of sleep is right for most people. Young children generally need more sleep and older people need a little less. Don’t underestimate the value of sleep, but don’t overdo it.

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