Sleeping too long is more harmful to health than not getting enough sleep. This is according to a new study.

Researchers found that people who regularly sleep less than 7 hours a night or more than 9 hours a night increase their risk of death.

The study revealed that those who sleep less than 7 hours have a 14% higher risk of dying from any cause than those who sleep the optimal 7 to 8 hours.

But it also showed that the risk of death increases to 34% in people who regularly sleep 9 or more hours a night.

Experts from Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, analyzed data from over 2.1 million participants in 79 separate international studies.

Men are at greater risk of death than women from sleep deprivation, while women are at higher risk than men if they sleep too long each night, the study found.

The study found that men who sleep less than 7 hours a night have a 16% higher risk of death, and those who sleep 8 hours or more have a 36% higher risk.

At the same time, in women, short sleep increases the risk of death by 14%, and long sleep by 44%.

Researchers believe that the differences are likely due to hormonal, behavioral, or cardiovascular differences between men and women.

Sleep epidemic

"As a society, we are experiencing a sleep epidemic. Although awareness has grown, our behavior has not changed much over the past decade. Constant exposure to blue light, pressure to be available around the clock, and disruption of our natural biological rhythms continue to have a negative impact on our health," said Dr. György Pürebell, director of the Institute of Behavioral Sciences at Semmelweis University and co-author of the study.

The study's authors warned that sleep deprivation is a growing global health problem, with millions of people regularly getting too little sleep due to work demands, exposure to digital screens, and stress.

Shift workers and those with irregular schedules are particularly affected.

Chronic sleep deprivation is associated not only with premature death but also with a range of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and a weakened immune system.

Sleep and strokes

In a second study, Hungarian researchers examined the effect of sleep duration on the risk of stroke and subsequent death.

They found that people who sleep 5 to 6 hours a night have a 29% higher risk of stroke compared to those who sleep 7 to 8 hours, and are 12% more likely to die from a stroke.

Those who sleep more than 8 hours have a 46% higher risk of stroke and are 45% more likely to die from it.

"Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. Identifying modifiable risk factors such as sleep can bring significant benefits to public health.  said Dr. Balazs Diorfi, head of the Department of Bioinformatics at Semmelweis University and senior author of the two studies. | BGNES