5 Shocking Health Risks Of Sleeping Too Much

Regularly logging more than nine hours of sleep a night may be a sign of an underlying medical condition, but it also puts you at risk for a whole host of health concerns. Here are some of the biggest risks of catching too many Zzs.

1.Sleeping too much can raise depression risk.

In a 2014 study of adult twins, researchers found that long sleep duration increased a person’s risk of depression symptoms. The study participants who slept between seven and nine hours a night had a 27 percent heritability of depressive symptoms, while those who slept nine hours or more had a 49 percent heritability.

2. It could impair the brain.

A 2012 study found that among elderly women, sleeping too much (or too little) worsened brain function over a six-year period. Women who slept more than nine hours each night (or fewer than five) displayed changes in their brains on par with aging two years, HuffPost reported at the time.

3. Sleeping too much can increase diabetes risk.

In a small study from Quebec, researchers found that people who slept more than eight hours a night were twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance over a six-year period than people who slept between seven and eight hours a night, even after controlling for differences in body mass.

4. It can hurt the heart.

In research presented at a 2012 American College of Cardiology meeting, sleeping eight or more hours each night was linked to an increased risk of heart problems. The researchers analyzed data from over 3,000 people and found that long sleepers had two times the risk of angina and 1.1-times the risk of coronary artery disease.

5. Sleeping too much may lead to an earlier death.

In a 2010 review of 16 different studies, researchers found an increased risk of dying — of any cause — among both short and long sleepers. Sleeping more than eight hours a night was associated with a 1.3-times greater risk of death among the 1,382,999 various study participants.