We hear a lot about how important it is for our health to get enough sleep, which is supposed to be between seven and nine hours a night. And sometimes people like to catch up when they can and end up sleeping even longer. But it turns out, oversleeping for several days a week could actually be a sign something serious is going on.
So how much is too much? Roy Raymann, Chief Scientific Officer at SleepScore Labs explains there’s no easy answer and it all depends on many factors including genetics, age, health, fitness level, activity, and how much stress someone is under. He says, “If you sleep more than nine hours a day, several days a week, and still feel tired during the day, you might be oversleeping.” He also points out that for people sleeping that much who are recovering from illness or recovering from days of less than adequate sleep, snoozing for more than nine hours is fine.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the health problems linked with oversleeping are:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Obesity
- Depression
- Headaches
- Greater risk of dying from a medical condition
But Raymann notes that it’s hard to determine which came first - did the health issue cause the oversleeping or does the oversleeping trigger the health issue? It’s tough to say, so it’s best to stick to the CDC’s recommendation of seven to nine hours a night.
Source: Insider