What Are the Effects of Sleeping Too Much?

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 40 million Americans each year suffer from a chronic sleep disorder. Hypersomnia, or sleeping too much, is a sleep disorder that affects work, social activities and life in general. It is characterized by prolonged sleep during nighttime and frequent sleepiness episodes during daytime. In addition, other serious health problems can develop, like heart disease, and an increased risk of death.

Diabetes and Heart Disease

• Heart disease can be developed by too much sleep.

  Sleeping too much may develop diabetes. In fact, of the people who sleep more than nine hours a night are at a 50 percent higher risk of developing diabetes than people who sleep around seven hours a night, the same being true for people who sleep less than five hours per night. People who sleep too much have a 38 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease than people who sleep normal hours.

Other Health Problems

• Headaches are common effects of oversleeping.

  Headaches are common for those who sleep too much. People tend to go to sleep to get rid of them, so they oversleep again and the cycle continues. Those who oversleep are 21 percent more likely to have weight problems and frequent back pains; exercises or a good mattress may help you with your back pains when sleeping within normal limits, but they don't really make a difference when you lie in bed for too long.

Psychological Problems

• Depression can aggravate when you sleep too much.

  Depression is more commonly associated with insomnia, but around 15 percent of depressed people sleep too much. Oversleeping can be considered both cause and effect of depression, because after sleeping more than nine hours, depressed people wake up more confused and feeling guilty they overslept, so they go to sleep to escape reality and the reasons of their depression in the first place.

Professional and Personal Problems

• Oversleeping can get you in trouble at the office.

  Oversleeping can result in a wide range of social and personal problems. It affects your job when you are late to the office and your work when you are sleepy throughout the day; it affects your physical capacities, like driving, and can cause accidents; it can affect your relationship with other people and your family members; it can put your financial status and health at risk and can even lead to death.

Remedies

• Healthy sleep habits may eliminate your need to oversleep.

  Good sleep habits could improve multiple aspects of a person's life. These involve a healthy routine around bedtime and throughout the day. Keep fixed times for going to bed and waking up in the morning; avoid alcohol and caffeine close to bedtime, so you can sleep well and wake up refreshed; exercise regularly and avoid naps during the day, so that you can have a good night's sleep. You should also consider the possibility of another medical condition that may cause you sleepiness (like hypothyroidism) -- treating it will restore your healthy sleep habits.