Lack of sleep ‘can increase stroke risk’

Regularly missing out on sleep can lead to older people experiencing a greater risk of stroke symptoms, according to research.

Scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham have formed this conclusion after following 5,666 middle-aged to older adults who were of normal weight and at low risk for obstructive sleep apnoea for up to three years.

A strong association was identified between daily sleep periods of less than six hours and a greater incidence of stroke symptoms, even beyond other risk factors.

According to the report, this offers a strong argument in favour of raising awareness of the impact of sleep as a risk factor for stroke symptoms, especially among those who are otherwise seen as being at relatively low risk.

Dr Megan Ruiter, lead author on the study, said: "We speculate that short sleep duration is a precursor to other traditional stroke risk factors and once these traditional stroke risk factors are present, then perhaps they become stronger risk factors than sleep duration alone."

Last week, a report from the University of Zurich outlined a simple new eye test that could also be used to help establish stroke risk.