Too Much Sleep Can Lead to Early Death: Here’s Why

Sound sleep is necessary for staying healthy. But sleeping more than eight hours a day may increase the risk of developing heart diseases and early death, suggest experts.

A team of researchers from the American Heart Association (AHA) conducted a study to assess the relationship between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease by analyzing 74 studies.

Sleep - Overview and Definition
Sleep is a behavioral state of restricted physical activity. It is controlled by our internal biological clock.

‘People who sleep for more than 8 hours a day are at a higher risk of developing heart disease and early death.’

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The study involved more than 3.3 million participants worldwide. The team observed that too much of sleep had increased the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The results of the study prove that people who slept for 10 hours were 30 percent more likely to die early compared to individuals who slept for eight hours.

Similarly, longer sleepers were also nearly 50 percent more likely to develop heart disease, whereas those who slept less than seven hours did not have a heightened risk of early mortality or heart disease.

Poor Sleep may Heighten the Risk for Atrial Fibrillation
New study links poor sleep quality to atrial fibrillation (AF). This finding provides another evidence that sleep quality is important to cardiovascular health and specifically to atrial fibrillation (AF). Improving sleep might help stave off atrial fibrillation.

The scientists do not understand why longer sleepers were at higher risk, but they noted both sleeping too long as well as sleeping too little can have adverse effects on the body.

"Short sleep duration has been shown to increase levels of leptin and ghrelin, which leads to increased appetite and facilitates the development of obesity," said researchers.

Binge Drinking may Cause Sleep Disturbances
Binge drinking causes sleep disturbances by affecting the gene that regulates sleep. It also causes significant increase in non-rapid eye movement sleep four hours after binge drinking followed by increased wakefulness and reduced sleep during subsequent sleep periods.

Depressive symptoms, low socio-economic status, unemployment, and low physical activity were also linked to long sleep duration.

People who sleep longer have the following medical conditions

Sleep apnea
Depression and
Anemia

Sleeping for long hours can change the circadian rhythm which can lead to increased inflammation and weakening the immune system, said Dr.Tara Narula, Indian American CBS News medical contributor.

Simple Tips to Improve Sleep Quality
Modern day sleep researchers have developed innovative new mattresses that guarantee maximum relaxation even during a short nap to ensure that the user wakes up feeling rejuvenated.

Simple Ways to Have Good Sleep

The author recommends a sleep hygiene regimen that includes

Going to early to bed and waking up at the same time
Sleep in a cool, quiet, dark room
Put all digital devices such as smartphones, laptops, tablets away
Refrain from drinking caffeine or alcohol before sleep

Following a regular sleep pattern is all that you need to stay hale and healthy.

Source-Medindia