The importance of sleep for people at risk of heart disease

Snoozing for less than 6 hours per night may increase the risk of premature death for people at risk of heart disease and diabetes, a new study finds.

People in the study who had a high body mass index (BMI) and elevated cholesterol along with a few other risk factors for heart disease and diabetes — a combination called metabolic syndrome — and slept less than 6 hours per night were twice as likely to die of heart disease or stroke over a nearly 17-year period as people without the syndrome, the researchers found.

People with metabolic syndrome who slept at least 6 hours per night also had a higher risk of dying over the same time period than people without the syndrome, the scientists found. However, this risk was not as high as it was among the people who slept less than 6 hours per night and also had metabolic syndrome, according to the study.