Too Much, Too Little Sleep Linked to Stroke Risk

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There might be some factors specific to postmenopausal women, said Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, head of the division of epidemiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

"Women who sleep less than six hours, all kinds of things happen to the hormonal system," she said. "Lots of studies clearly show that it is detrimental, that lots of stress hormones get released."

And sleeping longer than normal might be related to depression, Wassertheil-Smoller said, in agreement with Qureshi.

"People who are depressed tend to sleep longer," she said. "Depression is related to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke."

Simply setting the clock to sleep an allotted amount of hours is not a solution to the problem, Wassertheil-Smoller said. "If a woman is not sleeping long enough, she can try stress reduction and other methods to get more sleep," she said. "If a woman is habitually sleeping more than nine hours, she can discuss it with her doctor. She should also act to lower the known risk factors for stroke, especially high blood pressure."

More information

To learn more about the importance of sleep, visit the National Sleep Foundation.