(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Getting too much or too little sleep could add pounds to your waistline and leave you at risk for heart problems and diabetes.

A new study in the journal SLEEP reveals in people younger than 40 years old, too little or too much sleep was associated with significant increases in body mass index (BMI) and abdominal body fat.

Compared to people who slept six to seven hours each night, those who reported five hours of sleep or less per night experienced an average BMI increase of 1.8kg/m2 higher and larger accumulations of both subcutaneous adipose tissue and visceral adipose tissue fat. Those who slept eight hours or more had a BMI increase of 0.8kg/m2 higher and, like those who slept too little, saw larger accumulations of body fat at the waistline.

Of the over 1,100 African-American and hispanic participants in the study, 17 percent of sample reported sleeping five hours of less each night, 55 percent reported sleeping six to seven hours and 28 percent reported eight or more hours of sleep.