If sleeping at least eight hours a night is important for a good mental and physical balance and, by extension, good health, then sleeping too much can cause or be linked to a number of health problems.
For example, people who usually get headaches can get them when they sleep longer than usual. Scientists have tried to figure out why this happens and have found that too much sleep affects the activity of some neurotransmitters in the brain, like serotonin, which controls mood and makes people feel good, happy, and at peace.
For this reason, if you sleep excessively, you can find yourself dealing with a headache in the morning .
But that is not all. When you find yourself sleeping consistently for unusually long periods of time and still suffer from sleepiness even during the day , it is called hypersomnia, a condition that also manifests itself with other associated symptoms such as anxiety, low energy levels and problems with memory .
On the other hand, not everyone who sleeps a lot has a sleep disorder. In fact, hypersomnia can be caused by drinking alcohol, taking certain drugs, or just liking to sleep long.
But what can be the problems associated with hypersomnia? Scientific research has collected some of them.
Obstructive sleep apnea
Because of a blockage in the airway, this condition makes people stop breathing for a short time while they sleep. Because it messes up the normal sleep cycle, it can make you feel tired during the day, fall asleep, and make you need to sleep for longer.
Diabetes
Getting too little or too little sleep each night could increase your risk of developing diabetes.
Obesity
A recent study found that people who slept nine to ten hours a night were 21 percent more likely to become obese in the next six years than those who slept seven to eight hours a night.
Depression
Even though depression is more likely to cause insomnia, about 15% of people with the condition oversleep, according to estimates. This is something that could make the symptoms of depression worse.
Heart disease
One study showed that those who slept more than nine hours were 38% more likely to develop coronary heart disease . However, this result has not yet found an exhaustive correlation.
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