Is sleeping too much also harmful? Scientists announce results of 10-year study

The results of a major study conducted in China have been published in the journal Sleep Medicine. Scientists analyzed the sleep habits of participants using data from the China Kadoorie Biobank. The observation period lasted nearly 10 years.

The researchers compared people who sleep 7–9 hours a day with those who sleep less or more than that.

According to the results, sleeping less than 7 hours or more than 9 hours a day was associated with a 4% increased risk of developing a first cardiometabolic disease, a 10% increased risk of suffering from two or more such diseases, and a 7% increased risk of dying from any cause.

Cardiometabolic diseases include heart attack, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The highest risk was observed in people with unstable sleep patterns, meaning those who slept a lot on some days and very little on others. The authors noted that the identified correlation persisted across various subgroups of participants.

At the same time, the scientists did not conclude that sleep duration itself directly causes illnesses. Excessively short or long sleep may be one of the factors influencing the development of diseases.

Additionally, a neurobiologist at Stanford University shared a simple method that can help people fall back asleep faster after waking up at night. It is said that this technique takes less than a minute and does not require getting out of bed.