Tell us it’s not true. While we’re extremely well versed in the plus side of having lots of sleep — heightened productivity, better concentration, improved mental and physical health, snuggling – apparently there is now such a thing as too much sleep.
Parents with babies need not read on (you won’t be at risk for many years to come), but for the rest of you, listen up: A new global study has found that people who sleep for more than eight hours a night have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.
That’s right – forget smoking, drugs, sugar and caffeine, excessive sleep is the new enemy, according to research undertaken by Keele University and published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The study found that a sleep duration of 10 hours is associated with a 30% increased risk of death compared to sleeping for seven hours, a 56% increased risk of stroke mortality and a 49% increased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality.
“Our study has an important public health impact in that it shows that excessive sleep is a marker of elevated cardiovascular risk,” said lead researcher, Dr Chun Shing Kwok, at Keele University’s Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine.
“If excessive sleep patterns are found, particularly prolonged durations of eight hours or more, then clinicians should consider screening for adverse cardiovascular risk factors and obstructive sleep apnea, which is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep.”
Turns out there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Insert crying face emoji here.
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