Adverse effects of too much sleep

Although the dangers of too little sleep are widely known, but people who sleep too much may also suffer the consequences. People who want to get a good night's rest may not need to set aside more than 8 hours a night.Researchers from the University of California in San Diego found that people who clock up 9 or 10 hours each weeknight appear to have more trouble falling and staying asleep. They also suffer from other sleep problems, than people who sleep 8 hours a night. People who slept only 7 hours each night also said they had more trouble falling asleep and feeling refreshed after a night's sleep than 8-hour sleepers.Sleep disorders included waking in the middle of the night, arising early in the morning and being unable to fall back to sleep, and having fatigue interfere with day-to-day functioning. The researchers reviewed the responses of 1004 adults to sleep questionnaires, in which participants indicated how much they slept during the week, excluding naps and whether they experienced any sleep problems.

The study found that people who slept between 9 and 10 hours each night were more likely to experience sleep problems than people who slept 8 hours. Long sleepers may struggle to get rest at night simply because they spend too much time in bed. The researchers added that one way to help insomnia is to spend less time in bed. It stands to reason that if a person spends too long a time in bed, then they'll spend a higher percentage of time awake.The study also suggested that there might be a link between long sleeping and depression, noting that people who are depressed often temporarily feel better after skipping a night of sleep. It might be that depression is causing the long sleep, or long sleep may be the cause for the depression.