It's known that a lack of sleep can lead to health implications such as poor memory, low concentration levels, and an increased risk of obesity. But according to a new study, getting too much sleep could raise a person's risk of stroke.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults aged between 18 and 64 should get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
A stroke is a serious medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. According to the NHS, around 110,000 people have a stroke in the UK each year, with the condition being the third largest cause of death after heart disease and cancer.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge set out to investigate the relationship between sleep time and stroke risk.
They recruited 9,692 people who had an average age of 62 and had never experienced a stroke.
Over an average of 9.5 years, the participants completed two questionnaires four years apart surrounding how many hours of sleep they got each night.
During the follow-up study, 346 of the adults had experienced a stroke. It was found that those who slept for six to eight hours a night were 54 per cent less likely to have a stroke than those who slept for more than eight hours each night.
Furthermore, those who increased their sleep from six to eight hours to more than eight hours were four times more likely to have a stroke than those who consistently slept for six to eight hours a night.
Alberto Ramos of the University of Miami commented: 'Since people whose sleep patterns changed from short to long were nearly four times as likely to have a stroke, it's possible that this could serve as an early warning sign, suggesting the need for additional tests or for people to take steps known to reduce stroke risk, such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.'
The study has been published in the journal Neurology. View the abstract here