Sleep is one of the major pillars of healthy living. But just like most things, if done too much, it can have side effects. The recommended hours of sleep for most people are between seven and eight hours in one go, in one night. Anything above this is most likely unhealthy for most people and most likely means that the person is a lazy fellow.
Here are four negative health effects that oversleeping is likely to cause to your body.
1. Fatigue
It is rather ironic that the activity that is supposed to help deal with fatigue will be the one that increases or causes it. Sometimes, when you oversleep, you wake up feeling moody, cramped and unmotivated to do things. You feel lazy and slow to do chores around the house, and instead need some time to get into the groove.
2. Weight gain
There is not a clear reason why this is, but it is thought that because one who oversleeps is most likely a lazy person. So he does not do much physical activities to burn calories, but instead eats and stocks up on sugars and fats, resulting in becoming fat. This seems to be confirmed by the observation that obese people appear to be sleeping all the time, and by numerous studies which link weight gain to oversleeping in many people.
3. Increased risk of cardiovascular diseases
Because people who oversleep are most likely lazy, and hence not doing plenty of physical activities, their blood cholesterol is not burnt off. This cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, can accumulate to clog blood vessels, causing cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, stroke, heart damage, heart attack etcetera.
4. Diabetes
People who oversleep have less time during the day to do physical activities, and with the little time they do have, they probably are not doing any significant physical activities. This causes a gradual buildup of blood sugar levels, as this lazy individual will most likely be eating unhealthy fatty and sugary foods. The increase in blood sugar levels will cause more insulin to be released, which in turn raises the prospect of insulin resistance developing, which is the first step on the way to diabetes.
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