Blog 11: smaller medium larger Insomnia May Raise Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke (Lindsay Chase)

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=164718



A new study done by Taiwanese researchers suggests that people with insomnia my have double the risks of heart attack and stroke, opposite of those who sleep well. There has always been a correlation between sleep and sickness and other health issues. It can contribute to "obesity, depression, and high blood pressure" as found in many other studies. Also health issues can even cause insomnia, for instance, restless leg syndrome. When health issues are paired with insomnia they can increase the risk of heart disease even more. Researchers used a health database that showed 11,000 people in the database have insomnia and more than 32,000 do not.This was concluded after people with depression, anxiety, and etc. were taken out of the results. Researches did a longitudinal study for four years on some and found that they did experience a heart attack. A very small percent in the list of those who slept well had a heart attack, and that shows that there is a connection between insomnia and heart risks. A larger percentage of those suffering from insomnia also suffered from a stroke in the four years in the study. Other doctors who have gone over the evidence of this study conclude that more people should start making sleep a priority rather than not. Lowering the risk of insomnia can in result lower the risk of cardiovascular problems. For instance, it can lower the risk of a heart attack and a stroke.