A good night’s sleep always means a healthy mind and a healthy body. However, the excess of everything is bad, as cliché as it may sound but this is true. While sleeping 7-9 hours per night is vital for your physical and mental health, oversleeping can cause even more damage than sleeping less than 7-9 hours does.
Hypersomnia, or commonly referred to as oversleeping, can cause a lot of health problems, here are a few of them.
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1- Diabetes:
Studies have revealed that sleeping too much or too little can increase the risk of diabetes. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important that includes keeping a track of your sleep and making sure that you get proper sleep.
Diabetes is something that significantly reduces the quality of life and puts you at a major risk. So, make sure you not only improve your sleep hygiene but also make the overall lifestyle change (exercise, reduce stress and healthy diet) and take a step towards a healthier life.
2- Obesity:
A lot of researchers have found out that there is a direct link between obesity and oversleeping. Recent studies have shown that people who sleep for 11 or more hours are more likely to become obese in 5-6 years as opposed to those who sleep for 7-9 hours every night, even when food intake and exercise of both the groups were kept the same.
3- Headaches:
Oversleeping can affect certain neurotransmitters in the brain like serotonin that causes headaches. Also, people who have disrupted sleep cycles are more prone to headaches and migraines.
Chugging down painkillers is not a solution to this problem and can be quite damaging. Sleep on time and for the required number of hours to give your body the rest it needs. No less, no more!
4- Back Pain:
There was a time when doctors used to send people to bed the moment they complained of back pains. Those times are gone and according to the latest research the more you stay in bed, the higher the likelihood of getting body aches and back pain.
Therefore, make sure you exercise regularly under supervision from a trained instructor, and observe sleep hygiene and you’ll see the difference it would make to your health. In case you already have back pain, Swimming and Yoga can be quite effective to get rid of it as well.
5- Depression and other mental issues:
While insomnia is usually linked to being depressed and/or other mental health issues, researchers show that around 14% of depressed people sleep too much. It is, however, unclear whether depression leads to over-sleeping and sleep disruption or vice versa.
People who over-sleep also tend to have compromised mental health. They have a greater tendency to suffer from anxiety. Moreover, mental side effects of oversleeping also include greater chances of inheriting symptoms of depression.
6- Cognition
Whilst adequate sleep does wonders for normal functioning of the brain and thus is needed to stay sharp. However, sleeping for longer than required leads to issues with memory. Moreover, brain cannot function properly with excess sleep.
7- Neurological diseases
The impact of normal sleep can be better understood when seen in the light of the side effects of oversleeping. One such grave issue is the neurodegenerative diseases that occur because of oversleeping.
These include problems like Alzheimer’s disease. And since these are neurodegenerative issues, there is no cure for them. These issues aggravate with time and make quality life nearly impossible.
8- Heart diseases
Sleeping longer can invite a hoard of problems, heart disease being one of them. It leads to greater risk of CHD (coronary heart disease), and even stroke. There is also greater danger of Angina in the over sleepers. Worst thing is, these conditions can be fatal as well.
Moreover, heart diseases bring added complications that severely reduce the quality of life.
9- Fertility affected
The side effects of oversleeping are far reaching and encompass the wide range of body functions. Since circadian rhythm has an impact on the hormones, therefore sleep pattern influences fertility as well.
Women who overslept had greater problems with fertility. On the contrary, those women who get the adequate sleep of 7 to 8 hours had better chances of conceiving and had fewer fertility issues.
Hence, in light of the numerous and serious side effects of oversleeping, it is absolutely imperative to change the sleep-habits. Therefore, take charge of your health now. Sleep well, eat health, exercise regularly and manage the stress in your life. It is easier said than done, however, one can set up small goals and achieve each of them one at a time to reach this lifestyle stage and enjoy its benefits.
In case you are struggling with sleep issues, do not hesitate to book an appointment with a top Physician in Multan, Karachi and Islamabad through oladoc.com. You can also call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT Doctor for health concerns.
