Insomnia linked to heart attack, stroke

People having insomnia have a 22% likelihood of contracting coronary artery disease and 10% more likely to have a stroke compared to those who sleep well.

This is according to CNN, who say the same applies even after considering factors such as smoking, physical activity level and alcohol use.

Even though the connection between the diseases has not been established yet? Previous research show poor sleep quality could affect the functions of your hormone, elevate inflammatory process or change metabolism.

“While we don’t understand the exact link, what we’ve learned over the years is that sleep is important,” Dr. Natalia Rost, chief of the stroke division at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said.

Insomnia is when you:

• have trouble sleeping or staying asleep
• wake up too early in the morning and are unable to go back to sleep
• have trouble staying focused during the day because of lack of sleep

After analysis, those with issues of staying focused during the day due to poor sleep were 13% more likely to experience heart issues, those who had trouble getting and staying asleep were 9% more likely to develop stroke and heart conditions as well as those who were reported waking too early with a likelihood of  7%.

“I also think insomnia may be a symptom of some other disease in the body that’s not symptomatic yet. Maybe something is already brewing in the body that insomnia impacts and ultimately manifests 10 years down the road. Hopefully more research will figure the association out.” Dr. Natalia Rost said.