Your nightly shut-eye matters more than you think, and doctors say too much of it is a bad thing, and could lead to a number of potentially deadly consequences
The perfect night’s rest is a conundrum as old as time(Image: )
A perfect night’s sleep can quickly become a health risk, with doctors warning there is such a thing as too much – and too little. While the ideal amount of shut-eye has long been debated, both over and under sleeping are linked to some serious health problems.
Chronobiologist and sleep expert Juan Antonio Madrid spoke out on the dangers during an interview with Spain’s hugely popular radio show Hoy por Hoy on Cadena Ser. He said the optimal sleep window is six-and-a-half to eight-and-a-half hours, explaining the worrying short and long-term effects of getting too much — or not enough — rest.
“Below six hours, we will start noticing negative effects, especially in the medium and long term,” Madrid explained. “Be careful because there is something that almost no one knows: sleeping too much is also associated with different pathologies.”
He warns it’s “not good” to sleep for too long, claiming studies show anyone clocking 10 to 12 hours a night “may die earlier.” Sleeping this much has also been linked to an increased risk of metabolic diseases – and even Alzheimer’s
This is backed by The Framingham Heart Study who found a shift towards longer periods of sleep indicate the early stages of dementia. The team found that sleeping over nine hours a day was associated with developing the illness compared to sleeping less.
Dr Rosa Sancho, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, added: “While unusual sleep patterns are common for people with dementia, this study adds to existing research suggesting that changes in sleep could be apparent long before symptoms like memory loss start to show. Understanding more about how sleep is affected by dementia could one day help doctors to identify those who are at risk of developing the condition.”
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Madrid also warned it’s not clear whether sleeping a lot causes health problems or if it’s a result of poor-quality sleep that makes us try to catch up with extra hours. Either way, oversleeping can be a sign something isn’t right.
When asked what it means to sleep well, he said most people focus on the number of hours because it’s easy to measure. But we don’t all need the same amount: how we sleep and the fragmentation of our sleep is just as important.
Young female sleeping peacefully in her bedroom at night. Relaxing at nighttime. Copy space(Image: Andrii Lysenko via Getty Images)
A normal person experiences two to three tiny micro-awakenings per hour, which we don’t remember, but they can affect how deep and restorative our sleep is. Paying attention to these patterns helps ensure rest is truly effective.
Regularity matters as much as total sleep time. Epidemiological studies show consistent sleep schedules are more closely linked to longevity than the total hours we spend in bed.
Night-time sleep is vital and daytime naps can’t replace it. Madrid said that the bigger the difference between night rest and daytime alertness, the more positive you feel. So here’s to sleeping better, feeling younger and living longer!