Sleep - reducing stroke risk, boosting recovery

I know people who wish they didn't have to sleep so much. Sometimes I wish that, thinking how much more I can accomplish.

Then you read stories like this, linking sleep problems to stroke risk, recovery:

In addition, sleep problems can affect recovery from a stroke, according to the report.

If nothing else, this story could be a stroke prevention reminder

I don't know what to make of this - could daylight saving time increase your risk of stroke?:

"Looking at over a decade of stroke data, we saw a temporary increase in stroke incidence after daylight saving time transitions," Ruuskanen told CBS News. "Although from an individual point of view, this small increase in stroke risk we see in a population level is probably not a major issue, the study emphasizes the importance of sleep disturbances as a risk factor for stroke."

There was no difference in stroke risk after two days.

This year, clocks will "spring forward" for daylight saving time on Sunday, March 13.

I can't believe that changing clocks are causing strokes. It has to be something else. The research doesn't isolate a cause, just an interesting possible correlation.

Still, let this be a reminder about engaging in stroke prevention - just follow this link to more about that.

Aging gracefully - or at least while sleeping - might be important

Sleep well?

I must admit that the older I get, the more often I wake up in the middle of the night. Thankfully, I usually go right back to sleep after a small excursion.

Still, measuring sleep quality, especially for seniors, might important information in managing one's stroke risk. Recent research suggests that for seniors, poor sleep may mean higher stroke risk:

Researchers examined the autopsied brains of 315 people, average age 90, who had undergone at least one full week of sleep quality assessment before their death. Twenty-nine percent of them had suffered a stroke, and 61 percent had moderate-to-severe damage to blood vessels in the brain.

To avoid stroke risk, sleep like Goldilocks?

Wait around long enough, and you'll find research supporting almost anything you want. Maybe.

Almost a year ago, a study found lack of sleep raises stroke risk. As someone who enjoys sleep, I thought this was great news.

Now, another study finds that sleeping too much may increase stroke risk:

And those who transitioned from averaging less than 6 hours of nightly shut-eye to more than 8 hours had the highest risk, with close to a fourfold increase in stroke risk compared with people who consistently averaged 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

"We don't know yet whether long sleep is a cause, consequence, or early marker of ill health. More research is needed to understand the relationship between long sleep and stroke," said PhD candidate Yue Leng, of the University of Cambridge in England, in a written statement.

The study adds to the growing body of evidence on the ties between sleep and stroke risk.

Sleep apnea and stroke risk

Trouble sleeping? Many people discover they have a condition called sleep apnea, which affects breathing during sleep.

Most of us know at least one person who sleeps using a mask to help in breathing. I've seen people getting substantial relief with that treatment.

Now, one more reason to check with your doctor if you are having trouble sleeping. Sleep apnea is a stroke risk:

Through up to 14 years of follow-up, stroke risk increased along with the obstructive sleep apnea index to a similar extent in both men and women, according to Suzanne Bertisch, MD, instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Brookline, Mass.

Much of the risk can be addressed by health professionals, but you have to check!

Sleep may avert stroke risk

As some of you know, I had knee surgery recently. One of my priorities to improve my recovery is getting enough sleep.

That just makes sense.

But the lack of enough sleep might well bring about even more serious consequences, even among the young. A recent article details how insomnia may raise stroke risk:

Over the course of four years, researchers found that insomnia seemed to raise the likelihood that a person will be hospitalized due to stroke by 54 percent.

Photo from U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention

That risk skyrocketed for people between the ages of 18 and 34, who were eight times more likely to suffer strokes if they had insomnia when compared to their peers who got good sleep, the study found.

"We pay a lot of attention to high blood pressure, to obesity, to issues related to cholesterol. Those are known risk factors," said Dr. Demetrius Lopes, director of the Interventional Cerebrovascular Center at Rush University in Chicago and a spokesman for the American Heart Association. "But I think what is underrated is if you don't have a good sleep routine, how much it can harm you, especially at a young age."

Unfortunately, we live in a noisy, distracting, 24/7 world. And that makes it harder to get a good night's sleep. And that's on top of the difficulty many people have getting a good night's sleep even with ideal circumstances.

I love a good night's sleep. And now more than ever it seems, getting a good night's sleep is a serious matter.