A new study revealed that young adults, who experience difficulty going to sleeping, or insomnia, are highly prone to suffering from stroke because lack of sleep may cause systematic inflammation and other alterations in the body's normal processes.
Taiwan-based researchers led by Ya-Wen Hsu, Ph.D., concluded that insomnia can take a toll on one's cardiovascular health as it alters a person's glucose tolerance and increases blood pressure, which can eventually lead to stroke. They also found that young adults are more at risk to suffering from stroke.
In the study, they reviewed medical records of 64,000 people without insomnia and 21,000 people with insomnia and categorized the participants with insomnia according to the severity of their condition. The four sub-groups are: difficulty sleeping or maintaining sleep; chronic or persistent insomnia for one to six months; relapse insomnia; and remission - a non-insomnia diagnosis in someone diagnosed with insomnia before.
After four years of follow-up, they found that the stroke rate in adults aged 18 to 34 with insomnia was eight times higher than the other age groups. However, this rate decreases after the age of 35. Additionally, they noted that the likelihood of stroke hospitalization in relation to insomnia was up by 54 percent.
They also found that persistent insomniacs had a higher three-year accumulative incidence of stroke compared to other sub-groups.
Though the link between insomnia and stroke has not been fully determined yet, the findings of this study prove that insomnia may change or alter the body's normal biological processes.
"Individuals should not simply accept insomnia as a benign, although difficult, condition that carries no major health risks. They should seek medical evaluation of other possible risk factors that might contribute to stroke," said Hsu in a press release.
"We feel strongly that individuals with chronic insomnia, particularly younger persons, see their physician to have stroke risk factors assessed and, when indicated, treated appropriately," Hsu added. "Our findings also highlight the clinical importance of screening for insomnia at younger ages. Treating insomnia is also very important, whether by medication or cognitive therapy."
Further details of this study can be read in the April 3 issue of the journal of the American Heart Association.
