Stroke risk increased by list of seven common sleeping habits, says new study

dailyrecord.co.uk:

People who have sleep issues such as snoring may be more likely to have a stroke, according to new research.A new study revealed getting too much or too little sleep, taking long naps, having poor quality sleep, snoring, snorting and sleep apnoea – where breathing is disrupted – can increase risk, significantly so for anyone suffering with more than five of these symptoms.Snorers were almost twice as likely as non-snorers to have a stroke.People who slept for more than nine hours, or less than five hours, were more likely to have a stroke than people who had an average of seven hours, researchers found.The findings, published in the Neurology journal, do not show that sleeping problems cause stroke, but they show an association.Study author Christine McCarthy, of the University of Galway in Ireland, said: “Not only do our results suggest that individual sleep problems may increase a person’s risk of stroke, but having more than five of these symptoms may lead to five times the risk of stroke, compared to those who do not have any sleep problems.“Our results suggest that sleep problems should be an area of focus for stroke prevention.”The study involved 4,496 people: 2,238 who had a stroke and 2,258 who did not.Subjects were asked about their sleep behaviour, including how many hours of sleep they got, sleep quality, napping, snoring, snorting and breathing problems during sleep.The study indicated that people who snored were 91 percent more likely to have a stroke than those who did not, so how can you stop yourself snoring?Snoring is caused when the air travelling through your nose, mouth or throat is partially obstructed during the night.