Can sleep increase your rate of death?

According to a new study, sleeping for more than eight hours a night is linked to an increased death rate.

Researchers put study participants into three groups: those who slept six hours a night, those who slept between six and eight hours and those who slept for more than eight hours.

The mortality rate of the six-hour group was 12% higher than the eight-hour group.

But it was those who slept more than eight hours who were most likely to die, with a 30% higher mortality rate than those who slept between six and eight hours.

This makes sleeping more than eight hours a night just as dangerous as drinking an excessive amount of alcohol on a daily basis.