The Possible Risks Of Sleeping ‘Too Much’

BY- Jaya Choudhary

Just how much sleep is too much? Well, the amount of sleep you need varies significantly over the course of your lifetime. It mostly depends on your age, level of activity, your general health, and most importantly your lifestyle. During times of stress or illness, for instance, you might feel the need to sleep more. Although the need for sleep differs from person to person and over time, experts recommend that adults should rest between 7-9 hours every day. All in all, what does oversleeping mean?

The normal standard for a long time has been considered to be 8 hours and it's a good median benchmark. Experts at the National Sleep Foundation have made recent reviews of current research broadening the spectrum a bit. They say that somewhere between 7-9 hours is normal and healthy for most adults between the ages of 18 and 64. Some experts from Arizona State University say closer to 7 hours could be even better. He told the Wall Street Journal that the lowest mortality and morbidity is with 7 hours.

In most studies, however over 9 hours is considered an excessive or long amount of sleep for adults. There's absolutely nothing wrong with snoozing in a little on weekends sometimes, but if you sleep more than 9 hours each night or don't feel well-rested on less than that, then it might be worth taking a closer look.

Why do some people sleep too much?

Over dozing is technically a medical disorder for those who suffer from hypersomnia. The condition makes people extremely sleepy throughout the day. It also causes them to sleep for unusually periods of time at night and as a result of their constant need for sleep, many people with hypersomnia suffer from low energy, anxiety, and memory loss problems.
We frequently hear all about the dangers of getting little sleep but sleeping too much also has some risks of its own. There's evidence showing that spending a long time in bed directly influences certain risk factors. Some of the medical problems associated with over snoozing are-

Diabetes and obesity– Studies have shown that sleeping too much can increase the chances of you getting diabetes. One recent study also suggested that people who slept 9 to 10 hours were more likely to be obese over 6 years.

Headaches– Snoozing longer than usual can cause headaches for some people who are prone to them. Researchers believe that this is due to the effect oversleeping has on certain neurotransmitters in the brain.

Backaches– Gone are the days when doctors told people suffering from backaches to rest. They now realize the health benefit of maintaining a certain level of activity.

Depression and deaths– Approximately 15% of individuals with depression sleep too much, making their recovery process even slower. Numerous studies have found that people who sleep 9 hours or more have significantly higher death rates than people snoozing 7-8 hours.

ALSO READ: Treating Sleep Apnea May Reduce Dementia Risk: Study

So, does over dozing harm your health, or do certain illnesses result in over dozing?
Studies suggest that getting too much sleep may trigger certain problems, while other times need for more sleep could be a by-product of co-occurring processes. The answer could also be that healthier people may just need less rest, while relatively unhealthy people tend to need more due to known or undiagnosed problems.