Sleep linked to metabolic syndrome

PITTSBURGH , May 2 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers found sleeping less than six hours and more than eight hours linked to metabolic syndrome.

The study, published in the journal Sleep, found the odds of having metabolic syndrome -- a combination of medical disorders linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease-- increased by more than 45 percent in both "short" and "long" sleepers.

"This relationship was strongest in the group of men and women who slept less than six hours per night," study author Martica Hall of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said in a statement.

"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."

The study examined 1,214 adults between ages 30 to 54, who self-reported time spent sleeping. Short sleep duration was common, with 20 percent of the sample reporting sleep durations of less than six hours per night. In contrast, 8 percent reported sleep durations of longer than eight hours per night.