A review of 29 previously published studies has found that too little or too much sleep could be a risk factor for stroke and could even impact recovery.
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The analysis of these study cohorts also showed that SDB could cause paradoxical embolism and an association between the disorder and brainstem stroke, researchers found. And a combination of two types of SDB-central sleep apnea and Cheyne-Stokes breathing-were associated with heart failure in chronic stroke patients.
The researchers examined dozens of studies that looked at the link between sleep disturbances and stroke.
Sleep breathing problems like sleep apnea disrupt breathing during sleep. Lastly, patients with severe sleep apnea were more likely to suffer severe strokes.
Sleep-wake disorders may also increase stroke risk and harm recovery, although there is less evidence to prove so, the researchers said. For now, it is not known whether treating sleep problems would lower stroke risk.
Having a sleep-related problem can put you at a greater risk of stroke and affect your recovery, according to a new study. Hermann said, “Sleep is important for the ability of the neurons [brain cells] to connect, and after a stroke, these neurons have to reconnect to compensate for the lost function”. “This explains why disturbed sleep affects recovery from stroke”.
He says he does not believe sleep medications would be the most effective way of dealing with sleep problems. “In addition, neurologists and stroke specialists should take sleep disturbances seriously”, he continued. New findings suggest that insomnia and sleep apnea could have negative outcomes for these patients and for their recovery time after having a stroke.
The problems come especially when people experience sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and sleep-wake disorders, researchers found. They gathered information from almost 2,700 previous studies on sleep and neurology to perform a meta-analysis of the data.
While there are a number of drugs that are available for sleep disorders, the research team is cautious to recommend them for stroke patients, due to insufficient evidence of their safety in this population.
The researchers also recommend that sleep apnoea -where the throat constricts during sleep, restricting breathing – be treated with a continuous positive airway pressure machine, or CPAP.
Ischemic stroke is the most common form, accounting for around 87 percent of all strokes.
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Sleep disorders seen in stroke patients include restless legs syndrome, which is when a person has uncomfortable sensations and the irresistible urge to move the legs, particularly in the evening, along with periodic leg kicks and jerking at night.
