Too much sleep may lead to increased health risks, study finds

Too much sleep may seem like an enviable problem to have, but researchers say it may not be good for you.

According to a global study published in the European Heart Journal, sleeping longer than the recommended six to eight hours a night for adults is associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular diseases.

The researchers looked at data from 21 countries across seven regions. They found people who slept more than the recommended upper limit of eight hours increased their risk of major cardiovascular events like stroke or heart failure, as well as their risk of death by up to 41 percent.

The researchers said, however, that another reason for this may be that people have underlying conditions that cause them to sleep longer, and that in turn could raise their health risks.

And something else to consider before you decide to cut back on your zzz's: getting too little sleep may also increase your health troubles. The research team found people sleeping less than six hours a night were shown to have a 9 percent increased health risk compared to those who got the recommended six to eight hours per night, but the team didn't find that to be statistically significant.

Bottom line: six to eight hours of slumber per day seems optimal for adults.