Research suggests that lack of sleep raises a woman's risk of heart disease more than it does for a man.

Sleeping less than the recommended eight hours a night has been linked to a raised risk of heart problems. But researchers found that levels of inflammatory markers -- indicators of heart disease -- vary significantly with sleep duration in women, but not men.

The study found levels of a molecule called interleukin-6, which is known to trigger inflammation, were much lower in women who reported sleeping eight hours compared to those who slept for only seven hours.

Levels of the molecule known as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, which is linked to heart problems, were significantly higher in women who reported sleeping for five hours or less.