It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that getting a good night’s sleep plays an important role in physical health, brain function, emotional well being and much more. However, too much of a beneficial thing can sometimes end up being harmful, including too much sleep. If you’re getting anywhere between 7-9 hours of sleep, you are in the normal and healthy range. But, if you’re regularly sleeping more than nine hours each night, then you are sleeping excessively.
Now, we aren’t talking about sleeping in on the occasional Saturday or Sunday, but about excessive oversleeping that occurs almost everyday. You may be surprised to learn that not only are there certain negative effects you may feel after oversleeping (waking up feeling tired, brain fog, etc.), but sleeping too much is also linked with a number of health/medical issues.
Scroll through below to learn more about some of the surprising impacts of oversleeping.
1. Depression
It is common for people who are depressed to lay in bed all day. Sleeping all day is a symptom of depression. However, this can go both ways, sleeping too much can also cause depression. Disordered sleep patterns lead to an imbalance of serotonin (the brain’s feel good chemical) and if your serotonin is constantly disrupted it can lead to depression.
2. Diabetes
According to multiple researches, oversleeping can increase your risk of diabetes. In one of these studies, researchers from Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine found that people who slept more than 7-8 hours a night were twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
3. Headaches
Usually when people have a headache, sleeping it off can help. On the other hand, oversleeping can have the opposite effect, leading to headaches. Researchers believe this is because excessive sleep messes with the neurotransmitters in the brain, reducing serotonin levels.
4. Inflammation
Your body normally produces cortisol, which helps control inflammation. Oversleeping causes your body to produce increased levels of cortisol. When increased amounts of cortisol are produced it has the opposite effect, leading to inflammation. Inflammation can cause swelling and/or pain.
5. Heart disease
Excessive sleeping is associated with coronary heart disease. The Nurses’ Health Study examined the effects of oversleeping on approximately 72,000 women. The results showed that the women who slept 9-11 hours per night were 38% more likely to develop heart disease compared to those who just slept the recommended 8 hours. Unfortunately, researchers do not know why oversleeping and heart disease are linked.
6. Obesity
Studies have found that those who oversleep (more than 9 hours in this case) tend to put on more weight compared to those who get 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Those who sleep more than 9 hours per night are 21% more likely to become obese.
