Too Much Sleep Also May Not Be Healthy

Individuals who sleep too much also face consequences, according to the results of a study reported in Psychosomatic Medicine (March/April 2004). The researchers found that individuals who sleep 9 or 10 hours each weeknight seem to have more trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, compared with individuals who get 8 hours of shuteye.

For the study, the researchers reviewed the responses of sleep questionnaires from 1004 adults. The questionnaires indicated how much the participants slept during the week?minus naps?and whether they experienced sleep problems. For example, sleep problems included waking up during the night, waking early in the morning and not being able to fall back asleep, and having tiredness interfere with daily activities.