People with Insomnia at Higher Risk of Stroke: Study

Wang Qiru / health manager, senior medical public relations

According to the survey data of the Taiwan Sleep Medicine Association, at least 2 million people in my country suffer from insomnia, and according to the World Sleep Association, the prevalence rate of insomnia in Taiwan has reached 17%, and it is estimated that there are nearly 4 million people with insomnia. The problem of “wearing” has seriously affected the people of the country, and it has also brought harm to health.

A new study by Dr. Wendemi Sawadogo of Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States pointed out that people with insomnia have a higher risk of stroke than those without insomnia, and improving sleep quality through treatment will help Reduce this risk. The research results were published in the latest issue of “Neurology” (Neurology) journal.

The study collected data on 31,126 participants with an average age of 61 who had not had a stroke when they entered the study and who were followed for an average of nine years. During the interview, participants were asked questions about how often they had trouble falling asleep, whether they woke up often during the night, whether they woke up too early and were unable to fall asleep again, and how often they felt the need to rest in the morning.

The survey scores are calculated on a scale of 9 from 0 to 8, with higher numbers indicating more severe symptoms. And the research team adjusted for factors that may affect stroke, such as age, gender, race, alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

The results of the study showed that in the past 10 years, there were a total of 2,101 stroke cases, among the 19,149 people who scored 1 to 4 points, 1,300 strokes occurred, and the risk of stroke increased by 16%; and 5,695 people who scored 5 to 8 points Of the 6,282 people who scored 0, 365 had a stroke.

By age, people under 50 who scored 5 to 8 were four times more likely to have a stroke than people with a score of 0 compared to people without symptoms, including 458 people aged 50 with a score of 5 to 8 27 of those who had had a stroke. Meanwhile, people over the age of 50 who had a stroke with the same symptoms had a 38 percent increased risk of stroke compared with people without symptoms, and 33 of the 654 people over the age of 50 who scored 5 to 8 had a stroke.

The Sawadogo research team suggested that the difference in risk between the two groups by age may be due to a higher incidence of stroke in older adults. Stroke risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes increase with age, and insomnia symptoms may be one of many.

Sawadogo emphasized that the above-mentioned obvious differences may be an effective strategy to prevent stroke for the control of insomnia symptoms at a young age. In the future, the risk of stroke should be reduced by managing sleep problems.

Photo credit: Unsplash schematic

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