A growing number of people now suffer from strokes. Here’s what you can do to lessen your chances of having one

Despite making comprehensive adjustments for potential risk factors that could impact the likelihood of stroke, including smoking, physical activity, depression, and alcohol consumption, the study’s conclusions remained unchanged.

A study featured in the online edition of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, today, suggests that individuals experiencing sleep issues may have a higher likelihood of experiencing a stroke.

Sleep problems can involve sleeping too much or too little, taking lengthy naps, having poor sleep quality, snoring, snorting, and sleep apnea.

Furthermore, individuals who exhibit five or more of these symptoms may be at an increased risk of stroke. However, the study does not establish a causal relationship between sleep problems and stroke; it only highlights a correlation between the two.

According to Christine Mc Carthy, MB, BCh, BAO, the lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Galway in Ireland, their findings propose that not only can individual sleep issues augment the probability of a stroke, but experiencing five or more of these symptoms may increase the risk of stroke by five times, in comparison to those without any sleep problems.

As a result, the study highlights the importance of addressing sleep problems as a potential area of focus for preventing strokes.

Involving 4,496 individuals, the international study comprised of 2,243 people who had a stroke, matched with 2,253 people who did not experience a stroke. The average age of participants was 62 years.

During the study, participants were questioned about their sleep patterns, including the number of hours they slept, sleep quality, napping habits, and any breathing difficulties during sleep, such as snoring or snorting.

Individuals who slept excessively or inadequately were found to be more prone to stroke than those who slept an average amount of hours. Among those who had a stroke, 162 reported sleeping less than five hours, compared to only 43 of those who did not have a stroke. Additionally, 151 of those who had a stroke slept more than nine hours per night, in contrast to 84 of those who did not have a stroke.

The research team discovered that individuals who slept for less than five hours had a three-fold higher risk of experiencing a stroke compared to those who slept an average of seven hours. Similarly, those who slept for more than nine hours had more than twice the risk of stroke than those who slept for seven hours a night.

Moreover, individuals who took naps lasting longer than an hour were 88% more likely to suffer a stroke than those who did not take naps.

The study also scrutinized breathing issues during sleep, such as snoring, snorting, and sleep apnea. Participants who snored had a 91% higher likelihood of experiencing a stroke than those who did not snore, while individuals who snorted were almost three times more likely to have a stroke. Additionally, individuals with sleep apnea were nearly three times more prone to having a stroke than those without it.

Even after thorough adjustments were made for other factors that might affect the risk of stroke, such as smoking, physical activity, depression, and alcohol consumption, the findings remained consistent.

“With these results, doctors could have earlier conversations with people who are having sleep problems,” Mc Carthy added. “Interventions to improve sleep may also reduce the risk of stroke and should be the subject of future research.”

One drawback of the study is that individuals self-reported their symptoms of sleep problems, which may have resulted in unreliable information.

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