FRIDAY, June 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Insomnia symptoms are associated with an increased risk for stroke, with a dose-response relationship, according to a study published online June 7 in Neurology.

Wendemi Sawadogo, M.D., M.P.H., from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, and colleagues examined the association between insomnia symptoms and the incidence of stroke among adults and their spouses in the Health and Retirement Study. Data were included for 31,126 U.S. participants (average age, 61 years) with a mean follow-up of nine years.

The researchers found that over time, insomnia symptom trajectories remained constant. An increased risk for stroke was observed for those with insomnia symptom scores ranging from 1 to 4 and 5 to 8 compared with those with no insomnia symptoms (hazard ratios, 1.16 and 1.51, respectively), indicating a dose-response relationship. Comparing those with insomnia symptoms ranging from 5 to 8 to those with no symptoms, participants younger than 50 years had a stronger association than those aged 50 years and older (hazard ratios, 3.84 and 1.38, respectively). Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and depression mediated the association.

“There are many therapies that can help people improve the quality of their sleep, so determining which sleep problems lead to an increased risk of stroke may allow for earlier treatments or behavioral therapies for people who are having trouble sleeping and possibly reducing their risk of stroke later in life,” Sawadogo said in a statement.

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