Sandhya Raghavan
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Sandhya Raghavan | Updated : October 31, 2017 6:21 PM IST
Now that winter is approaching, we are all looking forward to lingering for some few extra moments in bed, clutching onto our soft blankets. Sleep is an important part of our lives since it restores our mental and physical health, helps process all the information we gather during the day, synthesises our hormones and allows the repair of muscles and tissues. Not sleeping enough can have devastating consequences our health. So it is important to catch your precious forty winks at any cost. But try not to overdo it since excessive sleep can be harmful to your health too. Here are seven ways in which oversleeping can affect your health.
It can impair your brain functions: It is said that a good night's sleep helps us remember what we have studied the night before. But overdoing it is not the way to go either because it can backfire. Too much sleeping -- i.e. sleeping for more than 8 hours -- has a direct impact on your cognitive abilities. Researchers have tied excessive sleeping with decreased brain functions.1
It affects your memory: Sleep is probably the best memory tonic. But here's the catch. Less sleep and too much sleep tend to have the same impact on your memory retention. A 2011 study on Chinese senior citizens found that too much sleep can impair your memory like too less sleep does.2
It can increase risk of Alzheimer's: The risk for neurodegenerative diseases like dementia increases with oversleeping. This is particularly dangerous for people who have Alzheimer's risk.3
It can worsen depression: Mood disorders can be worsened by excessive sleep. Studies point to the positive correlation between persistent depression and oversleeping. It can also increase your genetic risk of inheriting depressive disorders.4
It can worsen inflammation: A Finnish study concluded that oversleeping for ten hours can cause low grade inflammatory tendencies in the body.5
It can trigger "Weekend migraine": It's common for people to oversleep on weekends to make up for the sleep deficit for the rest of the week. The habit is associated with increased episodes of migraines on Saturdays and Sundays. This phenomenon is called Weekend migraines.6
It can lead to weight gain: When it comes to making you fatter, excessive sleep is as bad as inadequate sleep. Study shows that sleeping for too long makes you more prone to weight gain.7
References:
1. Kronholm, E., Sallinen, M., Suutama, T., Sulkava, R., Era, P., & Partonen, T. (2008). Self-reported sleep duration and cognitive functioning in a general population. Journal of Sleep Research, 17, 49.
2.Xu, L., Jiang, C. Q., Lam, T. H., Liu, B., Jin, Y. L., Zhu, T., Thomas, G. N. (2011). Short or Long Sleep Duration Is Associated with Memory Impairment in Older Chinese: the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. Sleep, 34(5), 575 580.
3. Benito Le n, J., Bermejo Pareja, F., Vega, S., & Louis, E. D. (2009). Total daily sleep duration and the risk of dementia: a prospective population based study. European journal of neurology, 16(9), 990-997.
4.Watson, N. F., Harden, K. P., Buchwald, D., Vitiello, M. V., Pack, A. I., Strachan, E., & Goldberg, J. (2014). Sleep Duration and Depressive Symptoms: A Gene-Environment Interaction. Sleep, 37(2), 351 358. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.3412
5.Grandner, M. A., Buxton, O. M., Jackson, N., Sands-Lincoln, M., Pandey, A., & Jean-Louis, G. (2013). Extreme sleep durations and increased C-reactive protein: effects of sex and ethnoracial group. Sleep, 36(5), 769-779.
6.Torelli, P., Cologno, D., & Manzoni, G. C. (1999). Weekend Headache: A Retrospective Study in Migraine Without Aura and Episodic Tension Type Headache. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 39(1), 11-20.
7.Chaput, J.-P., Despr s, J.-P., Bouchard, C., & Tremblay, A. (2008). The Association Between Sleep Duration and Weight Gain in Adults: A 6-Year Prospective Study from the Quebec Family Study. Sleep, 31(4), 517 523.
Image source: Shutterstock
