Too Little Sleep Tied to Stroke Risk Latest Heart News As much
as a fourfold increased risk was seen among normal-weight people
who didn't suffer from sleep apnea but got fewer than six hours
of sleep each night, the researchers found. Both obesity and
sleep apnea are known risk factors for stroke. "Sleep is
important," said lead researcher Megan Ruiter, a postdoctoral
fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's School of
Medicine. "There is evidence that insufficient sleep ...
increases all sorts of abnormal responses in the body." Lack of
sleep increases inflammation and causes increases in blood
pressure and the release of certain hormones, all creating a
greater stress response that can increase the risk for stroke,
Ruiter said. The results of the study were scheduled to be
presented Monday at the annual meeting of the Associated
Professional Sleep Societies in Boston. The data and conclusions
should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-
reviewed journal. For the study, Ruiter's group