According to a recent study, too many hours of sleep is as unhealthy as too few.
The study, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, found people who sleep more than eight hours a night and those who get less than seven hours of slumber both report more sleep complaints than people who get sufficient rest—between seven and eight hours per night.
Long sleepers reported more problems
Although it is unclear why long and short sleepers should have similar types of sleep complaints, the study challenges the assumption that more than seven or eight hours of sleep is associated with increased health and wellness.
Researchers examined data from nearly 100 adults interviewed during the National Sleep Foundation's 2001 Sleep in America Poll. They found that, compared with people who slept seven to eight hours a night, long sleepers reported more problems with falling asleep, waking up during the night, waking up too early, feeling un-refreshed when they awaken and feeling sleepy during the day.
Both long and short sleepers reported more sleep problems than people who got seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Women were more likely to be long sleepers than men. More research is needed to determine the biological reasons and implications behind the results.
Reference:
1. M. A. Grandner; D. F. Kripke, “Self-reported Sleep
