TUESDAY, Aug. 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Good sleep is important for the health of overweight men and women, a new study shows.

Heavy-set people who stay awake too late tend to have a higher risk of metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and other chronic health problems.

“Our research shows that disruptions in the body’s internal biological clock could contribute to negative health consequences for people who may already be vulnerable due to weight,” said lead investigator Brooke Shafer, a postdoctoral researcher with the Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) Sleep, Chronobiology and Health Laboratory.

What’s more, poor sleep produces different health risks between men and women, results show.

For the study, researchers recruited 30 people with a BMI greater than 25, which put them into an overweight or obese category.

The research team used saliva samples to figure out the time in the evening when each person’s body started producing the hormone melatonin, which kicks off the process of falling asleep.

The participants then logged their sleep habits over the following seven days.

Researchers used the sleep diaries to determine who had a narrow versus wide window between melatonin onset and sleep. A narrow window means that someone falls asleep shortly after melatonin onset, and a wide window means the opposite.

A narrow window suggests the person is staying awake too late for their internal body clock, researchers said.

Men who fell asleep closer to melatonin onset tended to have higher levels of belly fat, more fatty triglycerides in their blood and a higher overall metabolic syndrome risk than men who slept earlier and better, results show.

Women with a short sleep window had higher overall body fat, elevated blood sugar levels and higher resting heart rate, researchers found.

The new study was published recently in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

“It was really somewhat surprising to see these differences present themselves in a sex-dependent manner,” said senior researcher Andrew McHill, an assistant professor at OHSU. “It’s not one size fits all, as we sometimes think in academic medicine.”

“This study builds support for the importance of good sleep habits,” Shafer said in a OHSU news release. “Sleep practices, like going to bed when you’re tired or setting aside your screen at night, can help to promote good overall health.”

Researchers next plan to track the health effects of more severe changes in sleep patterns, such as when workers are asked to pull overnight shifts.

“We want to figure out possible interventions that keep this vital core group of the workforce healthy,” Shafer said.

More information

The American Heart Association has more on metabolic syndrome.

SOURCE: Oregon Health & Science University, news release, Aug. 23, 2024