Harm to the body from oversleeping

follow. People who sleep a lot often experience sudden changes in hormones such as leptin and adrenaline, which are linked to increased body fat.
 

Leptin, for instance, regulates hunger. If leptin levels drop, the brain’s hunger center receives less signal to stop eating, which increases appetite. More hunger leads to more eating, and ultimately, weight gain. Excessive sleep can also disrupt insulin receptors in the body, causing insulin resistance. When insulin cannot function properly, blood glucose levels rise, increasing the risk of type 2 or insulin-dependent diabetes. Additionally, excessive sleepers often have elevated levels of hormones that counter insulin, such as growth hormone, adrenaline, steroids, and glucagon, further raising the risk of diabetes.
 

Sleeping too much is not only associated with obesity and diabetes but also with high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides and cholesterol, heart attacks, strokes, fatty liver, and other health problems. It can even contribute to cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia is increasingly common worldwide, with someone developing it every four seconds. Memory, intelligence, and sleep are all controlled by specific regions of the brain, which weighs about 1.5 kilograms and contains roughly 100 billion cells.
 

The brain has three main parts: the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. The forebrain contains the cerebrum, thalamus, and hypothalamus. Various regions of the cerebrum help us see, hear, speak, and perform other tasks. Information from the brain travels to the rest of the body via nerves, while sensory receptors in the body send signals back to the brain.
 

At the connection points between neurons, there are small gaps called synapses, where neurotransmitters—chemical messengers—are released. These neurotransmitters carry electrical impulses from one neuron to the next, similar to a baton in a relay race. About 50 neurotransmitters have been discovered, some stimulating neurons and others inhibiting them.
 

One inhibitory neurotransmitter is serotonin, which helps induce sleep. In people who sleep excessively, the brain releases more serotonin. In dementia, several neurotransmitters decrease sharply, especially acetylcholine and choline acetyltransferase, mainly in the cortex and hippocampus. Other neurotransmitters such as glutamate, somatostatin, cholecystokinin, and substance P also decrease, leading to memory loss and cognitive decline.
 

Before considering solutions, it’s important to know how much sleep is normal at different ages:

• Newborns: 20–22 hours per day

• One-year-olds: 14–18 hours

• Ten-year-olds: ~10 hours

• Ages 11–50: ~8 hours
  After this, hormone production (including melatonin) declines, so 6–7 hours of sleep is sufficient. Elderly people can stay healthy with just 4–5 hours of sleep.
   

Eating nutritious food, regular physical activity, yoga, reading good books, and listening to music can help prevent excessive sleep.