A 
new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention links too little sleep (six hours or less) and too much sleep (10 hours or more) with chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, diabetes, anxiety and obesity in adults age 45 and older.
“It’s critical that adults aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night to receive the health benefits of sleep, but this is especially true for those battling a chronic condition,” said Dr. M. Safwan Badr, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
In the study, published in the October issue of the journal SLEEP, short sleepers reported a higher prevalence of coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes, in addition to obesity and frequent mental distress, compared with optimal seven-to-nine hour sleepers. The same was true for long sleepers, and the associations with chronic disease were even more pronounced with more sleep.
“A healthy, balanced lifestyle is not limited to diet and fitness; when and how you sleep is just as important as what you eat or how you exercise,” said Badr.
