Irish scientists at the University of Galway have linked sleep deprivation to a threefold increase in the risk of stroke. The findings of the study are described in an article published in the journal Neurology.
4496 people from different countries took part in the work, of which 2243 people had a stroke, and 2253 did not. The average age of the subjects was 62 years. All patients were asked how many hours they slept, about the quality of sleep, napping, snoring and breathing problems. On average, 162 of the stroke survivors slept less than five hours, compared to 43 in the second group. Of those who had a stroke, 151 slept more than nine hours a night, compared to 84 in the non-stroke group.
The results showed that people who slept less than five hours were three times more likely to have a stroke than those who slept an average of seven hours. People who slept more than nine hours a day had more than twice the risk of stroke as those who slept seven hours a night. Participants who napped for more than an hour during the day were 88 percent more likely to have a stroke episode than those who didn’t.
Among those with sleep breathing problems, the risks were also elevated: people who snored had a 91 percent higher risk of stroke, and people with sleep apnea were almost three times more likely to have a stroke than those with these symptoms. did not have. After adjusting for other factors that may influence the development of stroke (smoking, physical activity, depression, and alcohol use), the results remained similar.