Worse still if we sleep badly at night …
Unpredictable, the stroke (stroke) occurs when a blood vessel of the brain is blocked because of a clot or breaks. Deprived of oxygen, the brain can no longer function properly. The consequences can be terrible, ranging from balances of balance, speech, memory, to death. In France, out of the 140,000 people victims of stroke each year, 40,000 die, making it the 3rd cause of mortality in the country. If the risks linked to tobacco, alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes and hypertension are well known, Chinese researchers have studied another factor: the length of our naps.
Between 2014 and 2020, scientists followed 96,899 participants, an average of 52 years, by collecting their sleep habits via a questionnaire. They were to indicate if they did not take a nap, if they had a short nap (less than 30 minutes), an average nap (30 to 60 minutes) or a prolonged nap (more than an hour). They also took into account other key elements such as night sleep, snoring, but also conventional health factors such as smoking, alcohol and hypertension. All the strokes that occurred during follow -up were confirmed by medical records.
According to the results published in the journal “Sleep Medicine”on all participants, more than 60,000 took a nap. And more than 2,500 BCs were identified, including 2,300 ischemic (due to a clot) and 245 hemorrhagic (due to a rupture of a blood vessel). “Participants whose nap period was greater than 60 minutes/day presented a higher risk of stroke compared to those who did not take a nap” report researchers. The association was even stronger in people with a shorter night sleep or in those who were snoring. “Participants who took a nap of more than 60 minutes a day and slept less than 7 hours a night had a significantly higher risk of stroke (+23%), compared to those who slept 7 to 8 hours without doing nap”.
This study shows that a long nap replaces with a good night’s sleep. “A short nap, less than 60 minutes, could be a good compromise to reduce fatigue without increasing cardiovascular risk”recommend scientists. They recall that the need for nap is often signal from insufficient night sleep. Adopt a regular sleeping pace, avoid screens before sleeping and sleeping enough at night remain the best strategies to preserve brain health.