Lack Of Sleep Can Increase Stroke Risk
Insomnia can increase the risk of stroke and heart attacks a new study has shown. The study which was carried out by researchers in Taiwan have found that lack of sleep could lead to major health problems in the future. These include an higher risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack.
Problems such as diabetes and stress which are the major causes of insomnia can affect overall health. There has been previous research that links lack of sleep to poor health. Sleep disorders can lead to depression, obesity, diabetes, hypertension and a lack of concentration throughout the day. However, there are many diseases that can cause insomnia, such as anxiety, thyroid disease and chronic pain.
To carry out the study, researchers used a nationwide health database. They found 11,000 patients aged 45 or above who suffered from insomnia and 32,000 patients never had a sleeping disorder.
The patients were followed for 4 years and found that over 11% of patients with insomnia had a stroke while 6.5% of those who slept well suffered from a stroke. With regards to heart attacks, 1.6% of patients who had insomnia had a heart attack. While patients who didn’t have a sleeping disorder, 0.76% suffered from a heart attack.
Even though there is a strong link between insomnia and cardiovascular, researchers believe that clinicians should not treat insomnia aggressively. The researchers stated it’s too soon to say that treatment of insomnia would decrease the chance of a stroke or heart attack.
Also, the study did not show what type of insomnia the patients suffered from. It’s essential to know the type of insomnia in order to evaluate a conclusive link with cardiovascular disease. Problems such as not enough hours of sleep, difficulty in inducing sleep and fragmented sleep are all signs of insomnia. It is recommended that people should sleep a minimum of 6 hours a night.