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Too Much Sleep Increases Risk of Stroke

| February 26, 2015 Comment

Too Much Sleep Increases Risk of Stroke – Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick in England examined the link between sleep and stroke risk and found that those who slept for over 8 hours a night had a greater risk of stroke.

Researchers looked at cancer participants who had participated in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer. They were between the ages of 40 and 79 and were tracked for 9.5 years.Of the 9,692 volunteers, 346 suffered at least one stroke during the years they were tracked, including 67 strokes that were fatal. After controlling for other risk factors, researchers found that older adults (63 and older), who slept for more than 8 hours a night had a 46% risk of suffering a stroke in the next ten years than those who slept for 6 to 8 years.

Younger adults who got less than 6 hours of sleep a night also increased their risk of stroke by 18%. The link between sleep duration and stroke risk was stronger in women than in men and the risk of death was also stronger.

Researchers also found that those who got less sleep were more susceptible to an ischemic stroke (caused by a clot that blocks blood flow to the brain), while those who got more sleep were more at risk for a hemorrhagic stroke (caused by a ruptured blood vessel bleeds into the brain). Based on these findings, researchers suggest that doctors should include questions about patients’ sleep habits to detect their risk of stroke and take precautionary measures.

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