Sleepiness and Stroke Risk - TIME

Sleepiness and Stroke Risk - TIME: "The study tracked 2,153 participants, average age 73, as part of the ongoing Northern Manhattan Study on stroke, led by Columbia University researchers. The participants were tracked for about two years — none had had a stroke when the study began — and their daytime drowsiness was assessed using a standard sleepiness scale. Of the group, 44% were never-dozers, 47% were sometimes-dozers and 9% were always-dozers. During the follow-up period, the group had 40 strokes and 127 other vascular events, such as heart attack. The data showed not only an increase in stroke risk with excessive daytime sleepiness, but also an increased risk of heart attack and vascular death: compared with well-rested people, moderately sleepy people had a 1.6 times higher risk; for severely sleepy people, the risk was 2.6 times greater."