Less sleep, more stroke symptom risk

It's long been known that people with serious illnesses who don't get enough sleep are susceptible to further health problems. Now, new data indicate that healthy people who don't get enough sleep raise their risk for stroke symptoms.

A study presented at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society's 2012 conference in Boston earlier this month looked at 5,666 people 45 and older. Healthy people considered at low risk for chronic illnesses still had a four-times greater risk of suffering stroke symptoms if they slept fewer than six hours. Researchers adjusted their findings for factors that predispose someone for a stroke, including hypertension and high cholesterol.

Because subjects self-reported their sleep habits and health outcomes, it's unclear whether they actually suffered a stroke or merely displayed stroke symptoms, the study said. Researchers said more studies are necessary to see if lack of sleep is related to actual strokes.