Excessive sleep can be a sign of health problems

A meta-analysis found that people who reported sleeping more than eight hours a night had a 28% increased risk of developing dementia. Experts emphasize that sleeping more is not, essentially, the problem.

Although excessive sleeping hours are associated with diseases that affect the brain and other body systems, sleeping more than necessary can also have immediate effects, such as difficulty thinking quickly and feelings that the body is sore.

Excessive sleeping can also be a sign of neurodegenerative diseases, depression, sleep apnea and even cardiovascular diseases.

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The professor of Neurology at FMRP (Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto) at USP, Alan Eckeli, explains that, even if sleep duration is used as an indicator of rest, this is not enough to declare that a person is sleeping well.

"Aspects such as frequent awakenings during the night, difficulty reaching deep stages of sleep and the feeling of tiredness when waking up also interfere with the body's recovery and brain health. Therefore, spending more time in bed does not necessarily mean obtaining the expected benefits of sleep", declares the professor to Jornal da USP.

The teacher also emphasizes that quantity and quality of sleep are different dimensions, but that they complement each other and are personal measures. However, he warns of increased attention with excessive drowsiness during the day, involuntary naps, difficulties in maintaining attention, mood changes, irritability and complaints about memory and concentration, which may indicate that sleep is not adequate.

The ideal sleep
Despite these variations in the quality and quantity of sleep, Alan Eckeli assesses, based on the meta-analysis published by York University in the journal Plos One, that research like this allows us to identify a range of duration that is most associated with better conclusions about health states.

The professor informs that "Studies indicate that people who sleep less than six hours or more than nine hours per night tend to have a greater association with unfavorable outcomes. A range associated with lower health risks is in the range of seven to eight hours of sleep. This is what is most frequently associated with better health outcomes."

In addition to sleep duration, it is also necessary to evaluate other daily habits that influence brain health, such as a sedentary lifestyle, requiring regular physical activity, maintaining a balanced diet and other important measures to prevent cognitive decline.

*Under the supervision of Thiago Félix

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Source: CNN