Too much sleep dangerous for your health

SEE-August 8: A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on August 3 suggests that sleeping for more than 8 hours per night can cause fatal diseases.

"Sleeping more is more harmful than sleeping less," Dr Chun Shing Kwok, lead researcher said.

He added, "Abnormal sleep is a marker of elevated cardiovascular risk and greater consideration should be given in exploring both duration and sleep quality during patient consultations."

Kwok said that cultural, social, ­psychological, ­behavioral, and environmental conditions can affect our sleep.

Researchers used data of 74 studies which involved more than 3 million people. The studies found that sleeping too many hours is linked with a higher risk of premature death; those who sleep for 10 hours were 30%  more likely to die prematurely than those who sleep for 8 hours.

Staying in bed for more than 10 hours is also linked to a 56% increased risk of death from stroke and a 49% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to the research.