A study presented at the 61st Annual Conference of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago, Illinois reveals the finding of a meta study that was completed by the cardiology department at Chicago Medical School. That study, led by the Chairman of Cardiology, Rohit Arora revealed that getting six to eight hours of sleep was necessary to protect the heart from the widest number of heart disease risks. People who get either more or less than that range may increase their risk of heart disease, including a heart attack and stroke dramatically.

People who consistently get less than six hours of sleep each night may trigger their body's fight or flight response which will cause the release of upper levels of stress hormones. In turn, those hormones can cause changes in the body which include increase blood pressure, elevated heart rate and increased blood sugar. All three are dangerous in the long term and can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. In people sleeping less than six hours, the risk of heart attack more than doubles while the risk of congestive heart failure may increase by one and a half times for those people.

But, people who consistently sleep over eight hours may also be at risk for heart disease as well. Those "long" sleepers may be at a higher risk for depression and were found to be far less likely to exercise, another known factor for heart disease. Instead of increasing the risk for heart attack or stroke, though, these people were more likely to have serious chest pain, typically referred to as angina or coronary artery disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over six percent of the adults in the United States sleep for less than six hours a night on a consistent or routine basis because of insomnia or because of their jobs. No matter what the reason, lack of sleep or poor sleep quality can be more problematic than previously thought. This study confirms the risk of continued sleep deprivation which has been echoed by other, similar studies as well. Other studies have shown that people who do not sleep enough during the night are more likely to overeat the next day leading to weight gain. In addition, recent studies by the Insurance industry have revealed that sleepy drivers account for just as many serious car accidents as drunk or drugged drivers every year.