Abnormal sleep patterns 'linked to stroke risk'

Women who sleep too little - or possibly too much - may be at a greater risk of suffering a stroke, it has been claimed.

New research suggests middle-aged women who sleep for less than six hours a night, or for more than eight or nine hours have a higher risk of stroke than those who sleep for seven hours, Reuters Health Reports.

The study from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill involved 93,175 women between 50 and 79 years of age.

Dr Jiu-Chiuan Chen said: "The prevalence in women of having long sleep duration is much lower than having sleep duration less than six hours. So the overall public health impact of short sleep is probably longer than long sleep."

He added the data does not imply that women who cut short their sleep would be at a lower risk and said more studies were needed to understand the mechanisms involved.

The Stroke Association notes that excessive tiredness is a common complaint following strokes.

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