by Good sleep is important for good health, it helps people feel good both physically and mentally.
According to the English Heart Foundation, “When people rest properly they help the body to regenerate the immune system, improve memory and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. It also helps to lose weight and reduce stress and depression”.
Most experts recommend resting at least eight hours a day and indicate that sleeping less than five hours can be harmful to health.
According to Teresa Canet, a neurophysiologist and member of the English Sleep Society (SES), “under normal conditions, an adult who sleeps more than nine hours a day would be sleeping too much”, the expert warns that “it is the same or almost the same It is bad to sleep little than to sleep a lot” and points out that it is dangerous for the body to exceed the hours of sleep.
Among the different risks of sleeping more than nine hours a day, the following stand out:
metabolic alterations
According to a study from Quebec (Canada) people who sleep more than nine hours a day are 25% more likely to gain weight than those who sleep between seven and eight hours. And it is that, although people maintain a healthy diet, sleeping a lot decreases the available time of activity in the day to day and leads to a decreased physical activity.
Increased risk of developing diabetes
The same Quebec study found that excessive sleep doubled the risk of type 2 diabetes compared to people with a healthy sleep habit. This is because sleeping more than necessary can increase the level of sugar in our body, as it also happens when we sleep very little.
Lack of concentration and aging of the brain
Sleeping excessively decreases concentration and alters the normal activity of the brain on a day-to-day basis. According to Teresa Canet, “When a person sleeps too much on a regular basis, they experience loss of attention span and memory, which slows them down.”
Daytime sleepiness and “hangover” effect
On many occasions, when the person sleeps too much, You may feel dizzy, have a headache, or feel tired. When this occurs, the person suffers from what is known as a “sleep hangover.” In fact, it can be said that sleeping a lot causes drowsiness, as well as causing pain derived from lying down for so many hours, weakness and disorientation.
Although the exact reasons why it occurs are unknown, experts point out that prolonged sleep is usually a light sleep in which a deep and constant state of sleep is not reached. As a consequence, our body does not rest as it should and usually wakes up in the wrong sleep phase.
Increased risk of developing or worsening depression
Mood is closely related to sleep. In fact, various studies state that Lack of or excess sleep can lead to the appearance of diseases such as depression or worsen its symptoms in people who suffer from it. On the other hand, excessive sleepiness may be a consequence of depression, especially if it is accompanied by other symptoms such as appetite disturbances, lack of energy or irritability.
Sleeping too much can be a symptom of another disease
Although everyone needs a good night’s sleep from time to time, you should be alert if this becomes a regular occurrence. Sometimes sleep a lot It can be a symptom of another pathology and a visit to the doctor is mandatory so that he can assess us. Determining the causes of an increase in sleep hours is essential to take care of individual health and well-being.
