New research published in the European Heart Journal has found that both insufficient and excessive sleep can increase the risk of cardiovascular problems and premature death.
The health consequences of sleeping too much
Chuangshi Wang of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada and his team examined the sleep habits of more than 116,000 people between the ages of 35 and 70 who had enrolled in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (PURE).
In their analysis, the researchers also included information on the participants’ socioeconomic status, lifestyle habits, physical activity, diet, use of various medications, and family history of chronic conditions.
In all, 4,381 people died and 4,365 people suffered a heart attack or stroke during the 8-year follow-up period of the PURE study.
Wang’s analysis revealed that people who regularly slept more than the recommended 8 hours a night were more likely to die prematurely or develop cardiovascular disease.
More specifically, the risk of premature death or cardiovascular disease was 5% higher for people who slept 8 to 9 hours than for people who slept the advised number of hours.
Those who slept 9-10 hours were 17% more likely to die or develop heart and blood vessel conditions. Similarly, people who slept regularly for more than 10 hours were 41% more likely to die prematurely or develop cardiovascular problems.
Additionally, the study found a 9% higher risk of the aforementioned results among those who slept 6 hours or less. However, the authors caution that this increase was not statistically significant.
“Our study shows that the optimal estimated sleep duration is six to eight hours per day for adults,” says Wang. “Since this is an observational study that can only show an association rather than a causal relationship, it does not We can say that too much sleep per se causes cardiovascular diseases, “he warns.
“However, sleeping too little could be an underlying factor in death and cardiovascular disease, and sleeping too much can indicate underlying conditions that increase risk,” he clarifies.
“The general public should make sure to get roughly six to eight hours of sleep a day. On the other hand, if you sleep too often, for example more than nine hours a day, you may want to visit a doctor to have your health checked. in general, “says Salim Yusuf, leader of the work.
