While we usually hear about the ramifications from sleeping too little, sleeping for too many hours a night can raise the chance of colorectal cancer for the overweight or those who snore. A study at Harvard Medical School has shown that for these people, sleeping for 9 or more hours can lead to a 1.4 to 2.4 times higher chance of getting colorectal cancer, compared to those who sleep for an average of 7 hours per night.
The results suggest sleep apnea and intermittent hypoxemia may contribute to cancer risk. The connection between the two can be explained by the fact that those who have sleep apnea may sleep longer due to the sleep disturbances caused by the disorder. They are more tired than those without it due to waking up numerous times throughout the night. Intermittent hypoxemia has been shown to create tumors in animals.
The study, published in the journal SLEEP, is based on data from over 76,000 women whose average age was 53 and 30,000 men whose average age was 56. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep every night for optimal health!
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