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Q.

Is getting too much sleep bad for you?

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Answers From Experts & Organizations (1)

Michael J. Breus, PhD, ABSMMichael J. Breus, PhD, ABSMSUCCESS!
Michael J. Breus, PhD, ABSM
Sleep Disorders
105 Answers
2,754 Helpful Votes
22 Followers
A.

It turns out sleep is sort of like Goldilocks — you don’t want too little, and you don’t want too much.

What number is just right? The answer is really a range: somewhere between 6-8 hours. Any more or less than that may do more than just make you sleepy — it may cause your brain to age prematurely.

According to this study, both men and women who averaged seven hours of sleep performed better on reasoning tests than both people who slept fewer than six hours, as well as people who slept more than eight hours. Most interesting, the researchers involved think that the findings show that consistent sleep routines that include sleeping for around seven hours a night every night can help reduce the regular cognitive decline that happens to all of us as we get older:

  • The study tracked men and women over five years and consistently asked them to perform memory, vocabulary, and logic tests.
  • The study showed that people who got too little or too much sleep showed a loss in brain function that was like aging 4 to 7 years!
  • People tend to sleep less when they age, so maintaining between 6-8 hours of sleep a night may be a great natural way to prevent some of that natural memory loss that occurs with aging.

This answer should not be considered medical advice...down arrowThis answer should not be considered medical advice and should not take the place of a doctor’s visit. Please see the bottom of the page for more information or visit our Terms and Conditions.up arrow

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