Ladies, take note: you may want to make sure that you're getting the right amount of sleep every night.

According to a study conducted by Edward Suarez, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center, greater psychological distress, an elevated risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes are more strongly associated with females who lack sleep.

Suarez and his fellow researchers studied 210 middle-aged men and women without any history of sleep disorders, daily medication or hormone therapy. Suarez and co. then administered a standardized sleep quality questionnaire and other measures to assess the participants on various dimensions of their sleep during the previous month, depression, anger, hostility and perceived social support.

Afterward, Suarez took blood samples from the volunteers and measured them for biomarkers associated with various factors such as an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. According to their research, women who reported a higher degree of sleep disruption also had higher levels of all the biomarkers tested. The women's profiles also varied significantly from the men's.

Suarez believes that the difference may be due to the presence or absence of certain substances in the bodies of both sexes, such as tryptophan, serotonin and melatonin. Nonetheless, he plans to conduct further studies to better understand the relationship between sleep and health in men and women. Until he does, perhaps it's best to sleep on it.