Abstract
Background Habitual sleep patterns may independently affect morbidity and mortality. However, the effect of habitual sleep patterns on the risk for stroke and coronary heart disease is unclear.
Methods We evaluated the association between sleep duration and daytime somnolence (often or almost always taking daytime naps) with the incidence of stroke and coronary heart disease in a national cohort of 7,844 adults who participated in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to examine these relationships during the 10-year follow-up.
Results After adjusting for differences in age, race, gender, education, cigarette smoking, body mass index, serum cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and diabetes mellitus, the risk for stroke was increased in persons who reported sleeping greater than 8 hours at night compared with persons who slept between 6 and 8 hours (relative risk [RR] = 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1 to 2.0). Daytime somnolence was also associated with stroke incidence (RR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1 to 1.8). Persons who reported both greater than 8 hours of sleep and daytime somnolence were at the greatest risk for stroke (RR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2 to 3.1). Similar results were also found for coronary heart disease, although the results did not reach statistical significance in the multivariate adjusted model.
Conclusions Habitual sleep patterns have significant effects on the risk for stroke.
- Copyright 1997 by the American Academy of Neurology
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
