An alarming new study claims sleeping for too long could increase your chances of experiencing a stroke. The risk of experiencing a stroke is close to 85 per cent. Taking an afternoon nap for 90 minutes could also increase the risk by 25 per cent.
"People, especially middle-aged and older adults, should pay more attention to their time spent in bed attempting to sleep and midday napping, and sleep quality, because appropriate duration of sleep and nap, and maintaining good sleep quality may complement other behavioural interventions for preventing stroke," Dr Xiaomin Zhang, a professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan in China, told a news portal.
However, researchers note that they have only found a link between long periods of sleeping and stroke. They have yet to understand why there is an association between the two.
Previous research has found too much sleep can increase the risk of high cholesterol levels and obesity, which could cause you to develop heart disease too.
For the study, the team examined data of more than 32 000 people living in China. Most of the participants were around 62-years-old. A follow-up after six years revealed close to 1,500 participants experienced a stroke.
"If you sleep so much, you're actually decreasing your activity and a reduction in activity leads to a number of things that increase your risk of obesity, poor sugar control and blood pressure being out of whack," neurologist Dr Salman Azhar, director of stroke at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told a news portal.
Making a lifestyle change and improving the quality of your sleep may help reduce your chances of stroke. "Number one, addressing sleep apnoea, which is underdiagnosed and undertreated," Dr Azhar told a news portal. Adding, "This study confirms what other studies have shown – that insomnia and sleep apnoea are bad for you and increase your risk of stroke."
The study's findings were originally published in the journal Neurology.
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