Can You Sleep Too Much? Likely No, but Too Little Can Create Health Consequences
How much and how well a person sleeps can directly impact their physical and mental health. During sleep, the body works to support healthy brain function and, in children, growth and development — essentially recharging the brain and body for the day ahead.
Sleep deficiency can influence attention, creativity, and cognitive ability and may even play a role in depression symptoms and emotional regulation, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. But can a person get too much sleep?
Rebecca Spencer, professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says no.
“First, it would be hard to do because if it were ‘too much,’ you would lack sleep pressure and be unable to sleep. Often, if we sleep long, it is because we need that sleep for one reason or another (we’re sick, we’re sleep deprived),” Spencer says.
Read More: Lack of Sleep Could be Causing an Increase in Mental Health Disorders
Can We Sleep Too Much?
If a person gets the appropriate amount of sleep their body requires, any additional sleep adheres to the “law of diminishing returns.” That is, sleep becomes less restful and replenishing.
Think of a cell phone with a depleted battery. When a person stops using their phone and plugs it in, the battery recharges over time. Once that battery is fully charged, however, keeping the phone plugged in doesn’t add or take away from the charge — it simply stays at its maximum level.
Each person has their own individualistic needs when it comes to sleeping as well.
“In general, our genetics drive how much sleep we need. The recommendation that we need seven or eight hours of sleep is largely based on averages of what people get, as opposed to what we need,” explains Spencer.
Because this need is partly driven by genetics, some people may require more or less than the recommended amount.
Sleep Requirements Fluctuate
Sleep requirements also depend on lifestyle and health. Newborns, for example, may need up to 17 hours of sleep, whereas a two-year-old may need 14 hours, according to Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
As hormones fluctuate throughout a menstrual cycle, people with periods may sleep less during their luteal phase, which occurs in the latter half of the menstrual cycle after ovulation, according to a study in Cureus. Athletes, on the other hand, may need more sleep to repair muscles and enhance recovery.
“Sleep needs will also reflect when we slept last. We build up sleep pressure the longer we’re awake and need more sleep to recover from that sleep debt,” says Spencer.
Importance of Sleep
While the duration of sleep a person needs varies, within each person, getting less sleep than is required impacts cognitive, physical, and mental health. Cognitively, people with insufficient sleep will be inattentive, experience poor memory, and feel as though they’re in a brain fog.
Physically, reaction times may be impacted, a dangerous symptom when paired with driving. In fact, some studies have linked daylight saving time to higher rates of traffic accidents due to shifts in sleep schedules, according to a study in the Journal of Safety Research.
“When we’re sleep deprived, the immune system doesn’t work well, so we’re quick to get sick, and it will take longer to heal or recover from an injury. Mental health is also impacted as we will have more symptoms of depression and anxiety when we are sleep deprived,” says Spencer.
To meet sleep goals, Spencer recommends practicing good sleep hygiene, which includes sleeping in a dark, comfortable, quiet, and familiar space.
“It also means going to bed when you’re tired and keeping a consistent sleep schedule, within one hour every day for bedtime and wakeup,” she says.
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
Read More: Women May Need More Sleep Than Men, but Research Is Unsure Why
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