ATLANTA (AP) - A new government study finds people who sleep fewer than six hours a night or more than nine are more likely to be obese. The research is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and big bellies.

The study, released Wednesday also linked light sleepers to higher
smoking rates, less physical activity and more alcohol use.

Dr. Ron Kramer, a Colorado physician and a spokesman for the
American Academy of Sleep Medicine, said the research adds weight
to a stream of studies that have found obesity and other health
problems in those who don't get proper shuteye.

The study was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and is based on door-to-door surveys of 87,000 U.S. adults from 2004 through 2006.