Insomnia increases the risk of strokes by 54 percent over four years, a new study found.

Insomnia, a sleeping disorder has fast become a public health epidemic. According to statistics, over 70 million people suffer from this condition. Adding to the long list of health effects Insomnia has, researchers of a new study found that it also increases the risk of stroke by a significant margin. These risks are even greater for young adults that suffer from this disorder.

"We feel strongly that individuals with chronic insomnia, particularly younger persons, see their physician to have stroke risk factors assessed and, when indicated, treated appropriately," said Ya-Wen Hsu, Ph.D, the lead study author of the study in a press statement. "Our findings also highlight the clinical importance of screening for insomnia at younger ages. Treating insomnia is also very important, whether by medication or cognitive therapy."

The findings were made after researchers reviewed health records of more than 21,000 people with insomnia and 64,000 non-insomniacs in Taiwan. The people with the disorder were divided into groups based on the type of insomnia they experienced. These groups were:

  • insomnia included difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep
  • chronic or persistent insomnia lasted one to six months
  • relapse insomnia when the disordered returned after being diagnosed free of disease for more than six months at any assessment point during the four-year study
  • Remission was a change from a diagnosis of insomnia to non-insomnia at the subsequent time point.

During the study period 583 insomniacs and 962 non-insomniacs were admitted for stroke.  Researchers noted that insomnia of any kind increased the risk of being hospitalized for a stroke by 54 percent over the four years of the study period.  Additionally, people between the age of 18 and 34 who were diagnosed with the sleeping disorder were eight times more likely to suffer a stroke compared to insomniac people above 35 years. People with diabetics and insomnia had an even higher risk of stroke.

Researchers are yet to determine the exact reason behind why insomnia increases the risk of stroke. Current speculations are that insomnia decreases cardiovascular health via systematic inflammation, impaired glucose tolerance, increased blood pressure or sympathetic hyperactivity. All these are symptoms that lead to a stroke.

"Individuals should not simply accept insomnia as a benign, although difficult, condition that carries no major health risks," Hsu said. "They should seek medical evaluation of other possible risk factors that might contribute to stroke."

previous study revealed that this sleeping disorder increases mortality risk in men. Researchers of the study noted that men who reported difficulty initiating sleep and non-restorative sleep had a 55 percent and 32 percent increased risk of CVD-related mortality, respectively.

A U.S. National Health Interview Survey in 2002 revealed that people with insomnia were five times as likely to develop depression or anxiety and more than twice as likely to have congestive heart failure, according to ABC News.

Individuals today sleep 20 percent lesser than they did 100 years ago and insomnia accounts for most of the sleep loss. According to recent statistics, more than half of Americans lose sleep due to stress or anxiety and between 40 percent and 60 percent of people over the age of 60 suffer from insomnia.

In August, 2013, Northwestern University researchers found that exercise can help people battling insomnia provided they are consistent with their routine for months. Detecting this sleep disorder in its early stage makes it more treatable.

Findings of the new study were published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.