A study associates hours of sleep with an increased risk of stroke or stroke.
Sleeping more than eight hours a day might not be a good idea. This is suggested by research from the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), which states that “sleepers” may have an increased risk of stroke or stroke. And, in addition, this risk doubles in older individuals who, as a general rule, sleep more. However, the authors say it’s unclear why this association exists and invite further research to explore this link.
Previous research has already suggested a relationship between sleep and stroke risk, but this new study has taken an in-depth look at the relationship between a change in sleep patterns maintained over time and the risk of subsequent stroke.
Almost 10,000 people aged 42 to 81 years who are part of the European Prospective Study on Cancer (EPIC) were followed for more than 9.5 years. First between 1998 and 2000 and then four years later. The researchers asked participants how many hours they slept on average during a day and whether they generally slept well.
Age and sex
Nearly seven in ten participants said they slept between six and eight hours a day, while one in ten said they slept more than eight hours a day. Participants who slept less than six hours or more than eight hours were more likely to be older, female, and less active.
During the almost ten years in which the study was extended, 346 participants suffered a stroke, either non-fatal or fatal. After adjusting for several factors, including age and sex, the authors found that those who slept more than eight hours a day had a 46% higher risk of stroke than average.
Those who acknowledged sleeping more than eight hours when asked at both points in the study had twice the risk of stroke compared to those with a normal persistent sleep duration (between six and eight hours a day). This risk was even higher for those whose sleep increased from short to long over the four years, with a risk nearly four times higher than that of people who maintain a normal sleep duration.
Verification
In addition to studying this EPIC cohort, the researchers conducted a study of data from 11 other related analyses to identify the association between sleep duration and stroke risk patterns. Their final analysis, which included 560,000 participants from seven countries, supported the conclusions of their work.
However, the researchers acknowledge that they have not defined why the relationship between sleep and stroke risk exists. Lack of sleep has been associated with factors such as altered metabolism and elevated levels of cortisol, the “stress hormone,” all of which can lead to high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke. However, their study does suggest that the association between sleep duration and an increased risk of stroke is independent of normal risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Source: ABC
