Sleep Can Kill: Long Snoozes Linked to Strokes in Seniors

Sleeping too much or changes to sleep patterns have been linked to higher risk of stroke in old adults.

According to CBS News, sleeping longer than eight hours carries 46 percent higher risk of stroke in older adults. The study which made the finding, involved 9,700 people with average age of 62 years, whose sleep was tracked for 10 years. The study found that those who slept longer than eight hours were more likely to be female, older and did not get enough exercise.

"It's apparent both from our own participants and the wealth of international data that there's a link between sleeping longer than average and a greater risk of stroke. What is far less clear, however, is the direction of this link, whether longer sleep is a symptom, an early marker or a cause of cardiovascular problems," Yue Leng a PhD candidate at University of Cambridge, in a news release.

As the study did not conclusively explain the reasons, researchers did not suggest cutting sleep. Instead they recommended getting adequate sleep as required by the body.

LA Times reported that short-sleepers too were at an 18 percent increased risk of stroke. The research also showed a four time increased risk of stroke in people whose sleep pattern changed over four years.

"We need to understand the reasons behind the link between sleep and stroke risk. What is happening in the body that causes this link? With further research, we may find that excessive sleep proves to be an early indicator of increased stroke risk, particularly among older people," said Professor Kay-Tee Khaw, the study's senior author.