It’s no secret that not catching enough zzz’s can wreak havoc on your health. The National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute warns that sleep deficiency can lead to heart disease, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, kidney issues, and even depression. However, clocking too much sleep can also be bad for you. New research says hitting the snooze button one too many times can actually increase your risk of death.

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Getting more than eight hours of sleep a night is linked to greater death risk.

More than 170 diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and kidney failure, have been linked to poor sleep quality in a new meta-analysis.

After analyzing the sleep data of 88,461 adults from the UK Biobank, researchers found that long durations of sleep cause a greater risk of death, compared to short durations. Their findings appear in the journal Health Data Science.

Getting less than seven hours of sleep per night was defined as “short durations,” while sleeping for more than nine hours a night was categorized as “long durations.” Both groups were at a higher risk of mortality than their peers who slept for seven to eight hours a night.

The short duration group had a 14 percent increased death risk—although significant, they were surprisingly better off than those who slept in. The long duration group was associated with a 34 percent increased risk of death.

Researchers attributed 172 diseases to poor sleep during the average 6.8-year follow-up period. Physical debility, and fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver were among the 42 diseases that showed “at least doubled disease risk,” noted the authors. Additionally, 92 diseases had over 20 percent of their risk linked to poor sleep. These included Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, and acute kidney failure.

Inadequate sleep quality “contributed to a number of disease types with substantial attributable disease burden, emphasizing that comprehensive control of multiple sleep traits is necessary and may yield considerable health benefit,” concluded the authors.

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Another study found that naps longer than 30 minutes also increase mortality risk.

How long you nap can also indicate your mortality risk, according to a study published in the journal Sleep. Researchers tracked the daytime sleep patterns of nearly 87,000 individuals, between the ages of 43 and 79 years old, for seven days. Most people took a daily 40-minute nap.

However, their findings revealed that “longer naps, greater variability in daytime nap duration, and higher percentages of naps around noon and in the early afternoon are associated with greater mortality risks.” Over 5,000 people died during the 11-year follow-up period.

“These findings highlight the potential importance of considering napping behaviors in risk stratification of mortality in middle-to-older aged adults,” wrote the authors.

Per the Sleep Foundation, the “ideal nap length, between 20 and 30 minutes, should help you wake up feeling refreshed without falling into deep sleep.”

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Here’s how many hours of sleep you should aim for:

For adults, seven to nine hours of sleep is the sweet spot, says the National Institute of Aging (NIA). In a survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), nearly half of the participants admitted that they rely on caffeine and napping “to improve alertness when they feel sleepy in the daytime.”

“We recommend that adults should get seven or more hours of sleep on a regular basis to ensure they wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day ahead,” said Indira Gurubhagavatula, MD, sleep doctor and AASM spokesperson. “If you are experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness, or feelings of irritability, grogginess or even difficulties with memory, it may be time to speak with your health care professional about your sleep.”

To get your sleep back on track, the NIA recommends:

Limit screen time and stick to a relaxing bedtime routine

Try to go to bed/wake up around the same time everyday

Avoid caffeine and napping late in the day

Don’t eat big meals within two to three hours of bedtime

Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature

Get regular exercise, but try not to work out within two hours of bedtime

If your sleep quality isn’t improving, speak with your doctor, who can discuss potential underlying causes and build you a personalized plan for better sleep.

We offer the most up-to-date information from top experts, new research, and health agencies, but our content is not meant to be a substitute for professional guidance. When it comes to the medication you're taking or any other health questions you have, always consult your healthcare provider directly.