A new study has revealed that sleeping for more than ten hours a night increased the chances of death from stroke by 56% and heart disease by 49%.
Lead researcher Dr Chun Shing Kwok said: “Our study has an important public health impact in that it shows that excessive sleep is a marker of elevated cardiovascular risk.
“Our findings have important implications as clinicians should have greater consideration for exploring sleep duration and quality in consultations.
“If excessive sleep patterns are found, particularly prolonged durations of eight hours or more, then clinicians should consider screening for adverse cardiovascular risk factors and obstructive sleep apnea, which is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep.”
The researchers from Keele University, Manchester University, Leeds University and the University of East Anglia reviewed 74 studies. It showed those who got too much sleep were more likely to die during the decades which were studied.
One, over 11 years, found people who reported sleeping for more than nine hours had a 25% greater chance of dying from all causes.
The review found no difference between those who reported sleeping between seven and eight hours and those who got less than seven.
