Five Health Effects Of Sleeping Too Much

Balance is very important for people. Thus, lack of balance can lead to many physical and mental health problems. This is why sleeping too much can have as many negative health effects as not sleeping enough.

We all obviously need to sleep to recharge our bodies. But you should not take it too far. Not getting 7 hours of sleep a night is as bad as getting more than 10. Susan Redline, a doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a professor at Harvard University, has studied sleep more than almost anyone else in the world.

Redline’s studies are in good agreement with many other sleep studies that have been performed. Everyone seems to agree that people who get more than 10 hours of sleep a night have more health problems than people who get 7-8.

The health effects of sleeping too much

From the moment we are born, our bodies regulate themselves to achieve a perfect balance. We spend 20 hours a day sleeping like newborn babies. That number decreases as we get older, and as teenagers we need a maximum of 9 hours of sleep. As adults, it is best to get 7-9 hours of sleep, and never go too far above or below these limits.

Our body is wise and tries to ensure that we get at least a certain amount of sleep, but it does not want us to overdo it either. Why? Because our real rest comes from the deep sleep phase, and we can usually not spend more than 8 hours in it.

The problem with sleeping for more than 9 hours a day is that you only get light sleep. It is not consistent or deep. In other words, it is poor quality sleep.

Experts warn against sleeping too much, and you really need to take this warning to heart. It has many negative health effects and can threaten your entire well-being.

Increased risk of heart disease

One of the potential health effects of sleeping too much or not enough is an increased risk of heart disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

But sleeping too much does more than just increase the risk of heart disease. It also increases the risk of heart attack, neurological disorders and metabolic problems.

Metabolic changes

We mentioned that getting too much sleep could affect your metabolism. This is because sleeping more means that your body is also much less active.

According to international studies, people who sleep too much, have a much higher risk of obesity. Lack of physical activity is obviously a big part of it.

Diabetes

This is in some ways one of the worst health effects of sleeping a lot. When you sleep too much, your blood sugar levels tend to skyrocket. When this happens too often, it can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Mental weakness

If you consistently sleep too much, your brain ages faster. Your brain slows down and gets faster when you sleep a lot because it does not get enough deep sleep. If you wake up a lot at night, you get poor sleep quality, which means that your body does not charge properly.

Early death

Finally, sleeping too much can lead to an increased risk of premature death. This makes you more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease, both of which are the causes of premature death.

To sum up , sleeping too much is as bad as not sleeping enough. Sleep is a biological cycle that you absolutely must respect, and achieving balance is of utmost importance.