A Good Night Sleep Cuts Risk of Stroke
Individuals with insomnia, especially young adults, may be more prone to suffering a stroke than those getting a full night sleep, according to a new study.
The association was especially profound in those with insomnia between the ages of 18 and 34, who were as much as 8 times more likely to have a stroke.
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In order to further investigate the impact of insomnia on stroke risk, researchers analyzed data from 21,438 insomniacs enrolled with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes for insomnia, as well as 64,314 controls.
Over the course of the study, 583 participants with insomnia and 962 without insomnia were admitted to the hospital for stroke (2.7% and 1.5%, respectively).
When compared with noninsomniacs, those with insomnia had a 54% higher risk of stroke, and after breaking down insomniacs into subgroups, those with persistent insomnia had higher 3-year cumulative incidence rate of stroke.
Those between 18 and 34 years old had the highest incidence rate ratio of the subgroups (8.06).
“Our results underscore the clinical importance of identifying and treating insomnia. A novel behavioral intervention targeting insomnia that may prevent stroke should be explored.,“ they concluded.
–Michael Potts
Wu M, Lin H, Weng S, Ho C, Wang J, Hsu Y. Insomnia subtypes and the subsequent risks of stroke [published online ahead of print April 3, 2014]. Stroke. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.003675