How are you sleeping these days?
Director of Peninsula Sleep Waves at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, Linda Hurley, stops by to tell us about getting a good night’s sleep. Linda says getting a good night’s rest reduces the risk of stroke.
Linda tells us that chronic insufficient sleep increases stroke risk by four times. According to the International Journal of Stroke, sleep disorders continue to be the most unrecognized modifiable risk for stroke.
Sleep apnea further increases that risk. The dangers of untreated sleep apnea are:
- Untreated sleep apnea is a cause of stroke. Fight or flight kicks in when airway closes over. Blood pressure increases, heart rate increases, but instead of using that to fight or flee, it remains as you go back to sleep, so instead of resting and lowering blood pressure, the opposite is happening.
- Untreated sleep apnea and insufficient sleep can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, weight gain, and stroke. Of course diabetes, weight gain and high blood pressure all increase stroke risk.
- Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of a second stroke.
Linda says treatment of sleep apnea lowers blood pressure, especially in those with resistant hypertension.
