People suffering from insomnia or any type of sleep disorder may be more likely to have a stroke, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. The study revealed that the connection between insomnia symptoms and stroke was particularly strong in individuals under the age of 50. Those who experienced five to eight symptoms of insomnia had nearly four times the risk of stroke compared to people with no symptoms.
Participants with more than five symptoms of insomnia had a 51% increased risk of stroke, while those with one symptom had a 16% increased risk. However, the researchers emphasized that the study does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship between insomnia symptoms and stroke; it only demonstrates an association.
“There are many therapies that can help people improve the quality of their sleep, so determining which sleep problems lead to an increased risk of stroke may allow for earlier treatments or behavioral therapies for people who are having trouble sleeping and possibly reducing their risk of stroke later in life,” Wendemi Sawadogo, from Virginia Commonwealth University in the US, said.
The study involved 31,126 participants with an average age of 61, who were followed for approximately nine years. At the beginning of the study, none of the participants had a history of stroke. During the nine-year follow-up period, 2,101 cases of stroke were recorded. Among the 458 individuals under the age of 50 who experienced five to eight symptoms, 27 had a stroke.
For individuals aged 50 or older with the same number of symptoms, the risk of stroke increased by 38% compared to those without symptoms. Among the 654 individuals aged 50 and over who had five to eight symptoms, 33 experienced a stroke.
Sawadogo added, “The list of stroke risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes can grow as people age, making insomnia symptoms one of many possible factors. This striking difference suggests that managing insomnia symptoms at a younger age may be an effective strategy for stroke prevention. Future research should explore the reduction of stroke risk through management of sleeping problems.” The association between insomnia symptoms and stroke risk was further amplified for individuals with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and depression.