We do now know that sleeping is an essential part of everyone’s lives but how about sleeping way too much? Does it impose a risk in our health? Insufficient sleep is always a topic which is connected to risks in our health. While it’s true that for a body to fully regenerate requires an ample amount of sleep, sleeping way more than the enough amount is not that good as well.
What is oversleeping?
Before we discuss why oversleeping is bad, let us first try to determine what oversleeping is. Oversleeping is merely not just sleeping too much. As a matter of fact, too much sleep depends from person to person but to give you a value in general, adults should usually get at least seven (7) to nine (9) hours of sleep every night.
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If your body requires more than eight (8) to nine (9) hours of shuteye per night, then that can be a a signal of an underlying problem, says Vsevolod Polotsky., M.D., Ph.D., and professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Is this a sleep disorder?
Technically, oversleeping can be a sign of another, a more serious disorder. Oftentimes, too much sleep can be a warning that a specific person is experiencing poor sleep quality; it can be a sign of a clinical sleep disorder like narcolepsy or sleep apnea. In addition, it could also be a sign that a person has mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
Are there health symptoms of oversleeping?
There are certain points we need to look at in order for us to determine the signs and symptoms of oversleeping. These include:
- There are difficulties in waking up every morning (like sleeping through alarms, not being able to wake up even after body adjustments, etc.);
- Consistent grogginess throughout the day even after you think you’ve slept enough;
- Extended sleeping hours at night (usually ten to twelve hours);
- Not being able to concentrate properly; and
- Not able to wake up properly to start the day
While these are symptoms of too much sleep, what other things say that oversleeping is bad? Aside from those types of issues, not being able to wake up properly to function and start the day can actually impose any of the following conditions:
Read: Sleep Deprivation Warning Signs Your Body Might be Telling You
Obesity
We do know that little sleep could lead to being overweight or worse, being obese. A research has shown that people who slept for nine (9) to ten (10) hours per night had a 21 percent higher chance of becoming obese over a six-year timeframe than those people who slept normally (between seven (7) to eight (8) hours). The correlation of sleep and weight-gain remains the same even after the fact that exercise and food consumption were factors.
Back pain
Ever wondered where you’re getting those back pains? Well, this is one physical reason why oversleeping is bad. Various doctors pointed out that people who suffer from back pain might actually be sleeping too much. For one, they’re not able to exercise because of the ample time they spend asleep. Moreover, they’re not burning whatever they’re eating by just staying in bed.
So, whenever you’re experiencing back pain, try to think of the amount of sleep you’ve had the previous night and the nights before. It might be because of the snooze you’re giving yourself.
Depression
As mentioned earlier, sleeping too much can be because of a mental issue like depression. As a matter of fact, it really is. According to WebMD, around 15 percent of people who are hit with depression sleep more than the usual. If you think that sleeping more could somehow heal the mental and psychological wound, well, think again.
Sleeping more could actually do worse when it comes to depression because regular sleeping habits are an actually need when it come s to these types of disorders. More sleep means less time to do extra-curricular activities, it means no to less time to exercise, and other things that could be done to rid of overthinking that is linked to depression.
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Headaches
Lack of sleep is a main contributor to headaches but as a matter of fact, oversleeping is bad for it as well. If you haven’t noticed, sleeping too much if you’re used to sleeping “just fine” is one cause of headaches. This is because researchers believe in the fact that oversleeping has several effects on the neurotransmitters in the brain.
This is why people who sleep a lot during the day not only disrupts natural night time sleep, it can also impose headaches regularly.
Cardiovascular problems
One of the most concerning results of oversleeping is a sign that it’s a reason for cardiovascular problems. According to the Nurses’ Health Study, women who slept for nine (9) to eleven (11) hours per night were 38 percent more likely to develop a coronary heart disease versus those women who slept for only eight (8) hours. This study looked at at least 72, 000 women in a specific area and that percentage and number of respondents are not a joke.
Read: Why You Should Sleep On The Left Side Backed by Science
However, Scientists and researchers are still yet to unearth specific reasons for the correlation of cardiovascular diseases and oversleeping.
D***h
Following everything that is listed here, oversleeping is bad – and it’s bad as it can cause early d***h. According to the findings published in the journal BMC Public Health, oversleeping can develop any of the following:
- Type-2 Diabetes
- C****r
- Stroke
- Heart diseases
A demographic of men who slept for more than the usual has an increased risk of developing any three (3) of the following conditions by 28 percent. Those who snoozed fewer than six (6) hours had an increase rate of only 12 percent.
It’s quite alarming to be aware of the fact that oversleeping bad. Although you might have been experiencing quite a heavy feeling when you oversleep or when you sleep late, treat this as additional warning.
Read: 7 Simple Hacks To Help You Fall Asleep Backed By Science
Ever wondered why you feel heavy and uncomfortable after having an ample amount of sleep but you’ve snoozed late at night? Well, that’s because sleeping in the day a few more hours than you should is not actually a good thing for you, especially in the morning. Now, knowing these information and following it diligently can actually benefit and help you in having better and healthier sleep. At least, you now know the reasons why most people consider the fact that oversleeping is bad; it’s actually worse than whatever you can think of.
