ScienceDaily (May 1, 2008) — A new study is the first known to report that short and long sleepers are more likely to have metabolic syndrome, or a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

The study, authored by Martica H. Hall, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues, focused on 1,214 adults between 30-54 years of age.

According to the results, the odds for having the metabolic syndrome increased by more than 45 percent in both short and long sleepers. Short sleep duration was common, with 20 percent of the sample reporting sleep durations of less than six hours per night. In contrast, only eight percent of the sample reported sleep durations of longer than eight hours per night.

"This relationship was strongest in the group of men and women who slept less than six hours per night. On average, the odds of having the metabolic syndrome were nearly doubled in men and women who slept less than six hours, compared to those who slept between seven and eight hours per night," said Dr. Hall.

Experts recommend that adults get between seven and eight hours of nightly sleep.

The article, entitled, "Self-reported sleep duration is associated with the metabolic syndrome in midlife adults" was published in the May 1 issue of Sleep.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Academy of Sleep Medicine, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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