A recent study found that snorers can almost double the risk of having a stroke, compared to those who sleep soundly.
The study – which was conducted on nearly 4,500 elderly people – looked at whether there was a link between sleep problems and stroke.
The study found that sleep problems, including sleeping too much or too little, taking long naps, snoring, and sleep apnea, were associated with an increased risk of stroke. Those who did not, while snoring the risk increased 3 times.
The results also showed that those who slept for very long hours or for very few hours were more likely to have a stroke compared to those who slept an average number of hours.
Dr Christine McCarthy, a stroke geriatrician and doctoral researcher in the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Galway in Ireland, said the findings suggest that sleep problems should be an area of focus for stroke prevention, adding that the risks vary based on the number of symptoms presenting. the person suffers.
"Not only do our results suggest that individual sleep problems may increase a person's risk of having a stroke, but having more than 5 of these symptoms may lead to a 5 times greater risk of stroke compared to those without any sleep problems," she explained.
Study details
The study included 4496 people from all over the world, including 2238 people who had a stroke while 2258 people did not have a stroke, and the average age of the participants was 62 years, and they were tested on sleep patterns including the number of hours of sleep, naps, and suffocation (version sudden sound through the nose), snoring, breathing problems during sleep, and overall sleep quality.
The study found that breathing problems during sleep, including snoring, choking, and sleep apnea, were significantly linked to stroke.
Participants who reported sleep apnea and suffocation were nearly 3 times more likely to have a stroke than those without these sleep disorders, while those who snore were almost twice as likely to have a stroke compared to those without this sleep problem.
The team reported that the results did not change even after taking into account other factors that could influence stroke risk, such as smoking, physical activity and depression.
Dr McCarthy noted that "interventions to improve sleep may reduce the risk of stroke and should be a topic for future research."
Stroke usually occurs due to blockage of blood vessels that supply blood to the brain, which prevents brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients, and brain cells begin to die within minutes.
Stroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment so that early treatment can reduce brain damage and other complications.
