{"id":11577,"date":"2025-08-02T22:40:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T22:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/uncategorized\/can-too-much-sleep-be-fatal\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T22:46:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T22:46:17","slug":"can-too-much-sleep-be-fatal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/news\/can-too-much-sleep-be-fatal\/","title":{"rendered":"Can too much sleep be fatal?"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Lesedauer<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">Minuten<\/span><\/span>\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11577\" class=\"elementor elementor-11577 elementor-11547\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a5fb001 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a5fb001\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d831cd0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d831cd0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Ist-langer-Schlaf-toedlich-1024x576.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-11554\" alt=\"Ist langer Schlaf t\u00f6dlich?\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Ist-langer-Schlaf-toedlich-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Ist-langer-Schlaf-toedlich-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Ist-langer-Schlaf-toedlich-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Ist-langer-Schlaf-toedlich.webp 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2126186 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2126186\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0ae2d9c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0ae2d9c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>At first, it sounds alarming\u2014and the headlines read accordingly: \u201c<em>Too much sleep can shorten your life.<\/em>\u201d Once again, a new study confirms the link between long sleep duration and an increased risk of mortality. But finally, something that has long been overdue in sleep and health research is happening: <strong>causality is being questioned<\/strong>. It is not long sleep itself that leads to death, but the illnesses that make long sleep necessary in the first place. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e30b9d1 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e30b9d1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a7eb86 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3a7eb86\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the new study really says<\/h3><p>The latest analysis of data from more than 39 years of observation and over 1.6 million people (based on aggregated studies) shows a significantly increased mortality rate among people who regularly sleep more than 9 hours per night. This finding is not new; similar results have been reported over the past two decades. What has changed, however, <strong>is the view of the cause<\/strong>.  <\/p><p>Instead of assuming, as was previously the case, that \u201ctoo much sleep\u201d is unhealthy, the current study recognizes that <strong>long sleep is often a symptom<\/strong>, an indication of underlying health problems such as:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>chronic inflammation<\/strong>,<\/li><li><strong>Cardiovascular diseases<\/strong>,<\/li><li><strong>depressive disorders<\/strong>,<\/li><li><strong>neurodegenerative diseases<\/strong>,<\/li><li>or even an <strong>early response by the body to metabolic imbalances<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul><p>This clearly shows that: <strong>It is not sleep that is pathological. The illness alters sleep. <\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6e3dd4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d6e3dd4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f2d2299 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f2d2299\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A change of perspective that was long overdue<\/h3><p>In previous articles and discussions, I have repeatedly pointed out that the statement \u201c<em>more than 9 hours of sleep is dangerous<\/em>\u201d is a misleading simplification. It reverses cause and effect and can even be harmful because it causes people <strong>to artificially shorten their sleep<\/strong> even though their bodies are demanding rest for good reason. <\/p><p>The human organism is highly intelligent. If it regularly demands more than 9 hours of sleep, <em>this should not be ignored or pathologized,<\/em> but rather be cause for honest and thorough introspection. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99789bb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"99789bb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b99fe9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-tablepress-table\" data-id=\"4b99fe9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"tablepress-table.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<table id=\"tablepress-8\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-8\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kardena.de\/discount\/MichaForFriends10%25?ref=Micha\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/\u200eKardena_affiliate.webp\" alt=\"Kardena Smartwatch\" width=\"330\" height=\"330\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9891\" target=\"_blank\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/\u200eKardena_affiliate.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/\u200eKardena_affiliate-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/\u200eKardena_affiliate-150x150.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><\/a><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bodyclock.health\/?peachs_apc=michael-wieden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/\u200eBodyclock_affiliate.jpeg\" alt=\"Bodyclock RNA Test\" width=\"330\" height=\"330\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9888\" target=\"_blank\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/\u200eBodyclock_affiliate.jpeg 769w, https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/\u200eBodyclock_affiliate-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/wieden\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/\u200eBodyclock_affiliate-150x150.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-8 from cache -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9326cbb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9326cbb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84ae3f8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"84ae3f8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What too much sleep can actually mean<\/h3><p>In my work, I see it time and time again: people who suddenly start sleeping a lot feel guilty or \u201cnot normal.\u201d Some try to counteract this with alarm clocks, caffeine, or sleep interruption instead of asking, \u201c<em>Why is my body so tired?<\/em>\u201d <\/p><p>Persistent longer sleep can be a sign of:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>increased detoxification<\/strong>,<\/li><li><strong>physical healing processes<\/strong>,<\/li><li><strong>imbalanced hormonal regulation<\/strong>,<\/li><li><strong>emotional overload or processing<\/strong>,<\/li><li>Or simply <strong>chronic exhaustion<\/strong> that has never been properly treated.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e02cda0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e02cda0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2d9b759 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2d9b759\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The key: quality over quantity<\/h3><p>Much more important than the number of hours is the question: <strong>How is the quality of your sleep?<\/strong><br>A person who sleeps 9.5 hours and wakes up feeling refreshed may live healthier than someone who struggles out of bed after 6 hours feeling unrested but believes they have \u201cdone everything right.\u201d<\/p><p>Sleep architecture, i.e. the depth and cycles of sleep, often says more about health than mere duration. There is far too little differentiation in the public debate on this issue. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b722318 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b722318\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-252079b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"252079b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The danger of shifting blame<\/h3><p>When people hear that \u201ctoo much sleep can be deadly,\u201d they quickly get the impression that \u201c<em>it&#8217;s my own fault if I get sick-&gt;I slept too much.<\/em>\u201d<br>This is a dangerous reversal that is not only scientifically incorrect but also psychologically toxic.<\/p><p><strong>We need to move away from a narrative of blame and toward an understanding view of the body&#8217;s signals.<\/strong><\/p><p>Longer sleep is often an alarm signal that says, \u201c<em>Something is wrong, please take a look.<\/em>\u201d<br>Those who respond with discipline, time pressure, or self-reproach only distance themselves further from the solution.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f23860 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2f23860\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21d8af5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"21d8af5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to do now \u2013 practical recommendations<\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>If you regularly sleep more than 9 hours and still feel tired, groggy, or empty, then the first step is <strong>not to reduce your sleep<\/strong>, but to <strong>find the cause<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have your blood count checked (inflammation levels, thyroid, nutrient status).<\/li>\n\n<li>Check your mental balance \u2013 stress, excessive demands, suppressed emotions.<\/li>\n\n<li>Watch out for silent sources of inflammation \u2013 dental health, gut health, environmental pollution.<\/li>\n\n<li>Observe your rhythm \u2013 are there periods when you wake up during the night? Interruptions? <\/li>\n\n<li>And: Treat yourself to some <em>real <\/em>rest \u2013 not just sleep, but also inner peace.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49421647 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"49421647\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64c249b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"64c249b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion: The body is not an enemy<\/h3><p>We live in a society that values performance over regeneration. Where tiredness is seen as weakness and sleep as wasted time.<br>Yet sleep is one of the most intelligent and profound self-healing functions known to the human organism. <\/p><p>Instead of suspecting them, we should <strong>appreciate them<\/strong>.<br>And instead of fighting symptoms, we should <strong>investigate their causes<\/strong>.<\/p><p>I hope that this study will spark a change in thinking\u2014<br>not only in research, but also in everyday life,<br>in how we view ourselves and our sleep.<\/p><p><strong>Because sleep is not the enemy.<br>It is a friend that tells us<br>when we should stop fighting ourselves.<\/strong><\/p><p>Further article on this topic: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/news\/7-hours-of-sleep-is-enough\/\">Is 7 hours of sleep enough<\/a>?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5c5b36a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5c5b36a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-187f778 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"187f778\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Sources:<\/p><p id=\"ember1505\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\"><a class=\"cpepkcOjzZyNtQUIXJKATWOdxwsnbcwEPA \" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/a-study-found-too-much-sleep-increases-risk-of-death-heres-why\" target=\"_self\" data-test-app-aware-link=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/a-study-found-too-much-sleep-increases-risk-of-death-heres-why<\/a><\/p><p id=\"ember1506\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\"><a class=\"cpepkcOjzZyNtQUIXJKATWOdxwsnbcwEPA \" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11357-025-01592-y\" target=\"_self\" data-test-app-aware-link=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11357-025-01592-y<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At first, it sounds alarming\u2014and the headlines read accordingly: \u201cToo much sleep can shorten your life.\u201d Once again, a new study confirms the link between long sleep duration and an increased risk of mortality. But finally, something that has long been overdue in sleep and health research is happening: causality&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11577"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12107,"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11577\/revisions\/12107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wieden.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}