Generally, we live in a world where we’re used to being told to get more sleep. However, even though medical professionals espouse the value of getting regular, quality shut-eye to keep up a strong immunity, for energy, and in order to stay focused, it seems that too much sleep can also be dangerous to health. According to Dr. Michael Irwin, Professor of Biobehavioral Sciences and Psychiatry at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, sleeping more than 8 or more hours per night can be just as detrimental to your health and well being as not enough zzzzzzzs.
Let’s look at six health issues that can develop in people who sleep too much…
1. How Much Sleep is Too Much?
It’s natural to need more sleep as we age, says Dr. Susan Redline, senior physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (with a focus on sleep and circadian disorders) and professor of sleep medicine at Harvard University. However, Dr. Redline explains that the need for lots of shut eye can also be “a marker for underlying health problems…[and a] sign that you have a disease.”
Dr. Redline clarifies that the health and well being of people who sleep more than 10-hours daily is typically worse off—when compared to folks who only get 7- to 8-hours of shut eye each day.
