Oversleep It is a pleasure that can occur for many reasons. For example, you are fighting off a lack of sleep resulting from a sleepless night, or from staying up late, or perhaps you are suffering from the effects of illness.
However, Sleeping too much on a regular basis can be a sign of a sleep disorder or be linked to other conditions including mental health issues. Also, while a restful night’s sleep Restful sleep is essential to feeling clear and fit. Sleeping too much can affect your health almost as much as not getting enough regular rest.
What is considered too much sleep?
The amount of sleep someone needs can vary depending on their age, activity level, overall health, or lifestyle habits. But generally, around 7 to 8 hours of good quality sleep each night is recommended to function properly the next day.
Therefore, although rest needs may fluctuate throughout life, experts agree that More than 9 hours a day is considered sleeping too much or too much.
That is to say, it is possible and normal that you occasionally need that long period of rest. For example, after a trip or an exhausting day at work. After those extra hours of sleep, you wake up feeling refreshed.
Now, if sleeping a lot is a constant in your life, and you still feel like you are not 100% or even need to fall asleep during the day, may be a sign of an underlying health problem. As hypersomniaa condition in which you fall asleep and experience excessive sleepiness during the day.
The sleep pattern your ancestors followed was not 8 hours straight, which could lead to the belief that there are other healthy ways to sleep.
According to the American Sleep Foundation, some signs linked to sleeping too much beyond 9 hours of daily rest are:
- Excessive naps during the day.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Headache.
Why you might be sleeping too much
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For people who suffer from hypersomnia, sleeping too much is actually a medical disorder. This condition causes them to experience extreme drowsiness that is generally not relieved by naps or excessive nighttime sleep.
The obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder that causes people to momentarily stop breathing during sleep, may cause an increased need for sleep.
Excessive sleepiness can also be caused by multiple diseases, according to the University of Navarra Clinic. These can range from respiratory diseases, endocrine-metabolic diseases (hypothyroidism), kidney or liver diseases, heart failure or tumors.
Of course, nor everyone who falls asleep has a sleep disorder or an incipient illness. Other possible causes of falling asleep include drinking alcohol or certain medications. And then there are people who simply love being in bed.
How sleeping a lot affects your health
Lack of sleep has been linked to difficulty concentrating, fatigue, mood disorders, and an increased risk of chronic diseases. However, science has also found that sleeping too much can have a negative impact on health.
A growing body of evidence points to a link between sleep and Alzheimer’s. While much of the research points to the risks of insomnia, it has recently been found that sleeping too much (more than 7.5 hours) or needing long naps during the day may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s. early sign or increase the risk of this type of dementia.
Studies have also shown that sleeping too long or not enough each night can increase risk of diabetes, anxiety or obesity, at least in those over 45 years of age.
In fact, one study found that the risk of becoming obese may increase by 21% in those who consistently sleep between 9 and 10 hours each night.
Several studies have found that People who sleep more than 8 hours a day have a higher risk of suffering a stroke compared to those who sleep 6 to 8 hours.
This was detected by a research published in 2015 in Neurologyon almost 10,000 patients aged 42 to 81 followed for just under 10 years. Similar conclusions were reached in a 2020 study.
According to the Sleep Foundation, sleeping too much can also lead to worse inflammation in the body, decrease immune function and lead to chronic diseases including coronary heart disease.
Data from 21 countries covering 7 regions of the world found that people Those who sleep more than 8 hours increase the risk of serious cardiovascular events as well as death by up to 41%
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Tags: Sleep, Healthy Living