A new study published in Stroke titled “Insomnia Subtypes and the Subsequent Risks of Stroke” reveals that young adults with insomnia may be up to eight times more likely to suffer a stroke than those who have no trouble sleeping.
A summary of the abstract shows that Taiwanese researchers compared health records of more than 21,000 patients with insomnia to 64,000 patients without the sleep disorder.
While the overall risk of stroke was small among adults ages 18 to 35, those who were insomniacs were eight times more likely to suffer a stroke over a four-year period compared to those without sleep issues. The same group of insomniacs was also 54 percent more likely to end up in the hospital after having a stroke. The researchers found that insomniacs with diabetes had a higher risk of stroke than those without diabetes.
Insomnia has been previously linked to higher blood pressure, higher sugar levels, and inflammation of the arteries, which are all factors that increase stroke risk, the researchers wrote.”
The study cautions that researchers did not conclusively prove that insomnia causes stroke. The study was conducted on one ethnic group, so findings may not apply to a wider population.
