The study, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich in Germany, suggests avoiding both chronic sleep deprivation and spending a lot of time in bed.
"Our results suggest that sleeping too much or too little can be equally bad for the heart," says study author Epameinondas Fountas of the Onassis Heart Center in Athens, Greece.
As part of this study, data from more than one million adults were analyzed, drawn from other previously conducted studies. According to the findings, those who slept less than six hours a night or more than eight hours were at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease or stroke.
Compared to people who received six to eight hours of adequate sleep during the night, sleepyheads and those who do not sleep enough have a 33 percent and 11 percent increased risk of cardiac complications, respectively, over the next nine years, the researchers said.
Dr. Fountas added: "Intermittent naps at night or occasional sleeplessness are unlikely to be detrimental to health, but evidence is accumulating that both prolonged sleep deprivation and excessive sleep should be avoided."
Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the UK Heart Foundation, said: "A good night's sleep is essential to good health."
“When it comes to the health of our heart and circulatory system, this large study suggests that there may be an optimal amount of sleep at night, in the range between not getting enough sleep and getting too much sleep,” she added.
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