People who experience trouble sleeping could be at an increased risk of having a stroke, new research has suggested.
Scientists in the US found that those who have difficulty falling asleep, struggle to stay asleep, or wake up too early have greater chances of developing the deadly condition, which occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. The research showed that people with one or more self-reported symptoms of insomnia had a 16% increased risk of stroke, compared to those with no trouble sleeping.
The link between the two was stronger in those under 50 years of age - people in this group with between five and eight symptoms of insomnia had nearly four times the risk of having a stroke compared to those with no symptoms. A stroke can happen at any age, with around one in four happening to younger people, although you're more likely to have a stroke if you're over 55.
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The research involved more than 31,000 participants with an average age of 61, who had no history of stroke at the beginning of the study and were followed for an average of nine years. The team said its findings, published in the journal Neurology, suggest that improving sleep quality through therapies could help reduce this risk.
Study author Dr Wendemi Sawadogo, of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and member of the American Academy of Neurology, said: "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 behavioural therapies for people who are having trouble sleeping and possibly reducing their risk of stroke later in life."
Participants were asked how often they found falling asleep difficult, whether they woke up during the night regularly, whether they had trouble with waking up too early and not being able to go back to sleep, and how often they felt rested in the morning. Over the course of nearly a decade, there were 2,101 cases of stroke: 1,300 with one to four symptoms, 436 with five to eight symptoms and 365 with no symptoms.
People with five to eight symptoms of insomnia had a 51% increased risk of stroke overall, the researchers said. While participants under 50 who experienced five to eight insomnia symptoms had nearly four times the risk of stroke compared with people with no symptoms, people aged 50 or older with the same number of symptoms were found to have a 38% increased risk of stroke compared with those without symptoms.
Dr Sawadogo said: "This difference in risk between these two age groups may be explained by the higher occurrence of stroke at an older age. 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."
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of a stroke can be remembered with the word FAST:
- Face – the face may have dropped on 1 side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have dropped.
- Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm.
- Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you're saying to them.
- Time – it's time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.
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