Oversleeping: Side Effects Of Sleeping Too Much

In one way or the other have heard medical practitioners emphasize the importance of getting enough sleep and failure to do so is bad news. Haven't heard all this, have you sat down and ask yourself this question "How much sleep is too much"?

Sleeping is a rapidly growing field of research, in which we keep learning about how rest affects the body and state of mind. It all know that sleep is a time when the body repairs and restores itself.  But more evidence is now showing that spending an excessive amount of time in bed could be linked to different health implications.

Oversleeping which in the medical term called hypersomnia is a neurological disorder of excessive time spent sleeping, which could give rise to various medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease, increase risk of death. Also over the years, researchers, have quickly pointed out that there are other factors - depression and low socioeconomic status, which could give rise to oversleeping.

The amount of sleep we get or do need depends on age and activity level as well as the general health and lifestyle habits. For instance, during pregnancy, the amount of sleep needs increased during this period likewise, the period of stress or illness you may feel the urge to sleep more.

Below are some sleeping guidelines from National Sleep Foundation

Age                                        Hours of sleep per day

Newborn                               14 - 17hrs(including naps)
Infants                                   12 - 15hrs(including naps)
Toddlers                                11 - 14hrs(including naps)
Preschool-age children         10 - 13hrs
School-age children              9 - 11hrs
Teenagers                              8 - 10hrs
Adults                                   7 - 9hrs
Seniors                                  7 - 8hrs

Here are the health-related effect of oversleeping

1. Heart Disease

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(NAHNES), researchers linked both short and long sleep have a higher risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Also,  the study found that people who sleep more than 8hrs per night were twice as likely to have angina (heat pain caused by reduced blood flow) and 10% more likely to have coronary heart disease.

2. Depression

Oversleeping is often tag as a potential symptom of depression, with 15% that suffer from depression report insomnia and tends to oversleep. A recent study also found that sleeping too little or too much seemed to increase genetic heritability of depressive symptoms compared to normal sleepers.

3. Headaches

For some people prone to headaches, sleeping longer than usual on a weekend or vacation can cause head pain. Researchers believe this actions could be as a result of the effect of oversleeping has on certain neurotransmitters in the brain including serotonin, likewise, those who sleep too much during daylight and experienced disrupt nighttime sleep may also find themselves suffering from headaches in the morning.

4. Higher Stroke Risk

A recent study fromUniversity of Cambridge researchers looked at data from around 9700 Europeans over a period of 11 years. People who slept over eight hours were 46% more likely to have had a stroke during the study period after adjusting for comorbid factors. People whose sleep duration had increased during the study had a four times higher risk of stroke than consistent sleepers, suggesting that longer sleep could be an important symptom or warning sign of stroke risk.

5. Weight Gain

Researchers also found links between weight gain and sleep. Short and long sleepers both gained more weight than normal sleepers and were more likely to experience a significant weight gain. People sleeping over nine hours were 21% more likely than normal sleepers to become obese during the study. Other studies generally only support trends of higher body weight for short sleepers, but it could be that associated factors like diabetes risk contribute to weight gain for long sleepers.

Other health-related effects of oversleeping

• Impaired Glucose Tolerance 
• Higher risk of death 
• Back pain
• Increased inflammation factors 

How to stop oversleeping

If you the type that sleeps more than 8hrs of sleep per night, it advisable to visit a doctor for a checkup.
There are other factors that contribute to oversleeping such as drinking too much alcohol, staying on drugs which could also lead to other serious health issues. It is advisable to seek for help on that aspect.

Similarly, if your oversleeping is caused by an underlying medical condition, treating this disorder may allow you to return to normal sleep habits. Regardless of the cause of your oversleeping, practising good sleep hygiene will help you reap the benefits of a healthy 7 to 8 hrs sleep each night.