Sleeping A Lot: 5 Health Consequences

We live in a world where everything is a matter of balance. What’s more, our own universe is a delicate balance in which everything makes sense and what happens has cause and consequence. We are a product of this universe, so when we are out of balance, we cause negative consequences to our body and mind. For this reason, sleeping a lot can be just as negative as a lack of sleep.  

Sleep is necessary because it recharges the body, since rest from daily fatigue is necessary. But we should not abuse it since not getting 7 hours of daily sleep is just as negative as exceeding 10. One of the people who have studied this phenomenon the most is Susan Redline, a doctor at Brigham and Women’s in Boston and a professor at the University of Harvard.

Based on Redline’s research, together with other publications and studies, we found that they all agree on one thing: people who exceed 10 hours of sleep a day show a worse state of health than those who average 7 or 8 hours.

The negative consequences of sleeping a lot

Since we are born, our body regulates itself to find the perfect balance. At birth, a human spends 20 hours a day sleeping. This figure is reduced until adolescence, when the maximum of 9 hours a day marks the limit. From there, between 6 and 8 hours are recommended, not exceeding or lowering these margins and finding virtue and balance in the middle.

And it is that, our body, wise as few, asks us for a few minimum hours of sleep, but also maximum. Why? Because when you really rest it is during the deep sleep phase  and this is only reached with a certain time that does not usually exceed 8 hours a day.

The problem with prolonged sleep that exceeds 9 hours a day is that it turns into light sleep. That is, a deep and constant state is not reached, so the rest is worse, of poor quality, we could say. And that is why it is as harmful as not arriving at 6 hours a day, for example.

It is important to take seriously the experts’ warnings regarding the need not to sleep too much. The health risks are really high and can put our well-being in serious jeopardy.

Risk of cardiovascular disease

Sleeping a lot, as well as sleeping poorly, contributes to increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which, according to the World Health Organization, are the main causes of death worldwide.

However, sleeping excessively can not only cause cardiovascular diseases, it also increases the possibility of suffering heart attacks and neurological and metabolic pathologies.

Altered metabolism

We have briefly discussed that excess sleep can also disrupt human metabolism. And, if we spend too much time sleeping, our body does much less exercise.

According to international studies in this regard, a person who sleeps excessively runs the risk of being overweight and obese. The lack of physical activity is decisive in this regard.

Onset of diabetes

Sleeping a lot can also be a determining factor in the development of diabetes, as can a lack of sleep. It is because sugar levels tend to rise excessively. A rise in blood glucose increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Brain slowness

When we suffer from chronic long-term sleep, our brain ages faster. This premature phenomenon creates difficulties for the development of daily activities, even the simplest ones.

The reason for slowing down and premature aging is due to lack of deep sleep when sleeping a lot. As the individual constantly wakes up during the night, the rest is of poor quality and the body is not restored properly.

Early death

Finally, we focus on the risk of premature death. Sleeping excessively increases the dangers of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, both causes of premature death that can be preceded by excess sleep.

Without a doubt, sleeping a lot is as negative as little. And it is that this biological cycle that is the dream has a balance that we must respect. If we go against our own natural biology, we are actually seriously damaging our health.