Sleeping too much may carry health risks, researchers warn

Sleep is an important part of maintaining good health, but researchers say the amount of time a person spends asleep may also matter.

A long-term study involving more than 3,000 participants has found that people who typically slept between seven and eight hours per night recorded the lowest rate of death during the research period.

The study followed participants for more than 30 years. Among those sleeping seven to eight hours each night, there were 10.57 deaths per 1,000 people. Those sleeping for fewer than six hours recorded 10.97 deaths per 1,000.

The highest figure was seen among participants who reported sleeping for more than nine hours a night, with 11.27 deaths per 1,000 people.

Researchers estimated that consistently sleeping for extended periods was associated with a 17% increase in the risk of death from any cause. They, however, cautioned that the findings do not prove that excessive sleep itself causes death.

The researchers pointed to possible links with underlying health conditions, including high blood pressure and inflammation. They also noted that unusually long sleep could be connected to changes involving the body’s biological clock, hormones and immune system.

The Taiwanese team said sleep duration could be considered during routine health assessments as one of several factors that may help doctors identify people who could face elevated health risks.

The findings, published in the Journal of Sleep Research, also showed that blood pressure explained part of the relationship between longer sleep and mortality.

Despite the findings, health experts continue to recommend that adults generally get around seven to nine hours of sleep per night.