Are you oversleeping? Here’s why it’s not healthy to snooze for longer hours

When it comes to sleep, we often hear about the damages very little sleep can cause to our bodies. But is there anything like too much sleep? Turns out yes. Sleeping too much or not enough may have bad effects on health, according to a study.

Findings of the study
Researchers at Seoul National University College of Medicine found that compared to individuals who slept six to seven hours per day, men who slept fewer than six hours were more likely to have metabolic syndrome and higher waist circumference. Women who slept fewer than six hours were more likely to have higher waist circumference. Sleeping more than ten hours per day was associated with metabolic syndrome and increased levels of triglycerides in men, and with metabolic syndrome, higher waist circumference, higher levels of triglycerides and blood sugar, as well as low levels of ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL-C) in women. The authors found that nearly 11% of men and 13% of women slept less than six hours, while 1.5% of men and 1.7% of women slept more than ten hours.

So, what’s the ideal amount of sleep?
Oversleeping is known to cause other health conditions such as depression, higher risk of stroke and even infertility. Adults between the age of 18 to 64 should get about 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. In fact, some experts say that closer to 7 hours is better.