American scientists have reported that overindulgence in sleep, especially in middle-aged people, is also just as harmful as lack of it. According to the study, too much sleep harms the brain.
Nearly 9000 people participated in the study, and the results of it showed that people aged between 50 and 64 that sleep more than 7 hours a day have problems with memory and decision-making.
The harm of lack of sleep has been proven long ago, but after the latest study from researchers at the University of Warwick, the conclusion was reached that if we sleep way too long, we will also bring on health problems.
According to Dr. Michelle Miller, the amount of sleep that a person needs to fully recover their strength changes with age and has an effect on the body and mind.
For those people who sleep more than 9 hours a night, there is a 50% greater risk of them developing diabetes as opposed to those who sleep about 7 hours a night.
One of the authors of the American study - prof. Francesco Coluccio, proclaims that getting enough sleep in adulthood prevents memory loss and dementia.
"Sleep is important for good physical and mental health. Optimizing sleep in the elderly helps delay brain function loss with age or can delay and prevent rapid weight loss, which leads to dementia, " stated prof. Coluccio.
For middle-aged people, the required amount of sleep is between 6 and 8 hours a day. The results of previous studies also showed that up to 8 hours of sleep are necessary for the human body to rest sufficiently.
Whenever we sleep as much as our body needs, our physical health visibly improves, and there is a decreased risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
A past study has shown that getting enough sleep is of significant importance because the brain cleanses itself while the body sleeps, removing harmful toxins, which have accumulated throughout the day.
