The Dangers of Oversleeping

While this article focuses primarily on the perils of taking sleeping pills -- a subject I discuss often on my blog -- the information it contains about nightly hours of sleep and mortality is fascinating.

However, the research on the subject is far from definitive. Earlier research from the University of Chicago is quite clear that sleeping less than 6.5 hours will cause disruption in your insulin receptor sensitivity, which will increase your risk for diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

Other research shows that too little sleep will accelerate aging and raise cortisol levels. While it is possible that not everyone needs eight hours of sleep a night, a wealth of research indicates that less than six can have negative health effects.

The real trick is to optimize your lifestyle so the sleep you get every night is restful, restorative and drug-free.

If you have sleep problems that are unrelated to conditions like sleep apnea, I urge you to review my 29 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep, which has useful suggestions such as:

• Avoid bedtime snacks, particularly grains and sugars, which will raise your blood sugar and inhibit your sleep.

   

• Turn off the TV or, better yet, remove the TV from your bedroom if it is in there.

   

• Sleep in complete darkness or as close to it as possible.

   

• Make certain you exercise regularly. Exercising for at least 30 minutes every day can help you fall asleep. However, don't exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake.

Also, please understand that the way you wake up in the morning is just as important as how long you sleep at night. The safest and most effective way to wake up in the morning, feeling refreshed and energized, is by the rising of the sun.

I haven't used an alarm for the last five years, but when I was using alarms I absolutely hated waking up to an alarm. The startling noise probably causes harm to your adrenals.

Ideally it would be best to wake up to sunshine but for many of us that is not possible. A nifty artificial way to cause the "sun to shine" when you need it are Dawn Simulators. It really is a near ideal way to wake up if you are unable to wake up spontaneously when you need to.

The neat thing about these types of alarms is that if you are really tired you will sleep right through it, but if you are reasonably rested you will wake up as soon as it becomes light.

So unless you are going to miss a plane it is probably best to use this type of alarm and be a bit late for your first morning duties, as getting a good night's sleep is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy.