Insomniacs may be at higher stroke risk

A new study has revealed that the risk of stroke may be much higher in people with insomnia than those who don't have a sleeping problem.

According to the researchers who reviewed the randomly-selected health records of more than 21,000 people with insomnia and 64,000 non-insomniacs, the risk also seems to be far greater when insomnia occurs as a young adult compared to those who are older.

The study found that insomnia raised the likelihood of subsequent hospitalization for stroke by 54 percent over four years and the incidence of stroke was eight times higher among those diagnosed with insomnia between 18-34 years old, while the risk continually decreased beyond age 35.

Study author Ya-Wen Hsu said that they feel strongly that individuals with chronic insomnia, particularly younger persons, see their physician to have stroke risk factors assessed and, when indicated, treated appropriately.

The study was published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.