Healthy sleep linked to reduced risk of stroke through metabolic changes

Healthy sleep was associated with a lower risk of stroke, and scientists attributed part of this effect to changes in metabolism. This was reported by scientists whose work was published in the journal Sleep Health (SH).

The researchers analyzed data from 200,729 UK Biobank participants, with an average age of about 56 years. Sleep health was assessed using six indicators, including sleep duration, presence of insomnia and snoring, daytime sleepiness and ease of awakening. None of the participants had a stroke at the start of the study. Follow-up lasted an average of 12.6 years, during which time 5,140 people had strokes.

It turned out that each additional point on the sleep scale was associated with about a 3 percent reduction in the risk of stroke. In addition, scientists discovered 35 sleep-related metabolic indicators. Omega-3 and other polyunsaturated fatty acids, lipoproteins, amino acids and inflammatory markers played an important role. These changes explained about 9 percent of the association between healthy sleep and stroke risk.

The authors believe that getting enough sleep may help maintain normal metabolism and reduce levels of systemic inflammation, thereby promoting vascular health. The results highlight the importance of sleep as a potentially modifiable factor in stroke prevention.