Too little, too much sleep harms health; Exercise may shorten sleep duration

Getting too little sleep -- or too much -- may lead to a higher risk for obesity, diabetes and premature death, according to a number of studies released at this year's meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle today.

Specifically, one study found that those who slept five hours or fewer per night were 24 percent more likely to develop diabetes, while those who slept nine or more hours per night were 48 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those sleeping more typical hours.

A potentially more controversial piece of research out of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., found that exercise may lower the total amount of time that people sleep.