Can sleeping too much kill you?

Sleeping more than six to eight hours is associated with an increased risk of death, a study has revealed.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Akshay Kumar/Instagram

Turns out, sleeping more than six to eight hours a night is associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular diseases.

According to a recent study at the McMaster and Peking Union Medical College, people sleeping more than the recommended upper limit of eight hours increased their risk of major cardiovascular events, like stroke or heart failure, as well as death by up to 41 per cent.

But a possible reason for this could be that people have underlying conditions causing them to sleep longer, which in turn could raise the risk of cardiovascular disease or death, explained the authors of the study.

The findings of the study appeared in the Journal of European Heart.

The team also identified a rising risk among daytime nappers.

"Daytime napping was associated with increased risks of major cardiovascular events and deaths in those with (more than)  six hours of nighttime sleep but not in those sleeping [less than] 6 hours a night," said Chuangshi Wang, a researcher.

People who under sleep a daytime nap compensate for the lack of sleep at night and mitigate the risks.

The researchers also reported that having less sleep, under six hours, can increase the risks by nine per cent, compared to people who slept for the recommended six to eight hours.

 Lead image published only for representational purposes.