A study published in Neurology indicates that individuals who experience insomnia symptoms may have a higher likelihood of suffering from a stroke.
This risk was observed to be significantly more prominent in individuals under 50 years old. The research, however, does not establish a causal link between insomnia and stroke but highlights an association.
Exploring the Impact of Sleep Quality on Health
Study author Dr. Wendemi Sawadogo from Virginia Commonwealth University suggests that identifying the sleep problems that lead to an increased stroke risk could allow for earlier treatments or behavioral therapies.
These interventions might help people with sleep troubles reduce their stroke risk later in life.
The Study Design and Findings
The study included 31,126 participants with an average age of 61, all of whom had no history of stroke at the onset of the research.
Participants reported their insomnia symptoms and were then followed for an average of nine years.
During this period, 2,101 cases of stroke were identified. After adjusting for other stroke risk factors, researchers found a clear association between the severity of insomnia symptoms and stroke risk.
Higher Risk for Younger Participants
The study found a particularly strong correlation between insomnia symptoms and stroke in participants under 50 years old.
Those experiencing five to eight symptoms had almost four times the risk of stroke compared to those without symptoms.
However, insomnia was just one among many stroke risk factors that typically increase with age, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Importance of Managing Sleep Problems
The difference in risk between the two age groups implies that managing insomnia symptoms at a younger age could be an effective stroke prevention strategy.
Future research is encouraged to explore the potential reduction in stroke risk through managing sleep problems, especially among individuals with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and depression.
Limitations of the Study
A key limitation of the study was that the insomnia symptoms were self-reported by participants, which might introduce inaccuracies in the data.
Nonetheless, the findings suggest a significant correlation between sleep problems and stroke risk, emphasizing the importance of quality sleep for overall health.
If you care about sleep, please read studies about drug that can treat sleep loss and insomnia, and Mediterranean diets could help people recover after COVID infection.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how sleep may help you process emotions and reduce PTSD, and results showing Vitamin D deficiency may increase death risk.
The study was published in Neurology.
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