Washington, May 4 (ANI): A new study claims that too little or too much sleep increases the susceptibility of developing metabolic syndrome - a combination of medical disorders that boost the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Authored by Martica H. Hall, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the study had drawn its results by examining 1,214 adults between 30-54 years of age.

The results indicated that the both short and long sleepers had a 45 percent increased chance of having metabolic syndrome.

While, short sleep duration was common, with 20 percent of the sample reporting sleep durations of less than six hours per night, on the other hand, 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.

The study is published in the recent issue of the journal SLEEP. (ANI)