Excessive sleep

Avoid

2 studies · 1 recommendation

Last updated: February 25, 2026

Avoid2 studies

Long sleep duration linked to 46% higher stroke risk in large cohort

A prospective cohort study of 9,692 participants followed for 9.5 years identified 346 stroke events, with long sleep duration carrying a 46% increased stroke risk (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.08–1.98) after full covariate adjustment including age, BMI, physical activity, smoking, and comorbidities. The association held in sensitivity analyses excluding preexisting cardiovascular disease. Persistently long sleepers and those substantially increasing sleep duration faced even greater risk. A companion meta-analysis of prospective studies confirmed this finding with a pooled hazard ratio of 1.45 (95% CI 1.30–1.62) across multiple populations, reinforcing that habitually excessive sleep serves as an independent risk marker for both fatal and nonfatal stroke.

Evidence

Sleep duration and risk of fatal and nonfatal stroke : a prospective study and meta-analysis

Authors: Brayne, Carol, Cappuccio, Francesco, Khaw, Kay-Tee, Leng, Yue, Luben, Robert N., Surtees, Paul G., Wainwright, Nick W. J.

Published: March 17, 2015

Among 9,692 participants in the EPIC-Norfolk cohort followed for 9.5 years, 346 strokes occurred. Long sleep duration was associated with a hazard ratio of 1.46 (95% CI 1.08-1.98) for stroke after adjusting for all covariates. The association remained robust when excluding participants with preexisting diseases and those reporting poor sleep quality. Those who reported persistently long sleep or a substantial increase in sleep duration over the study period had even higher stroke risk compared to persistently average sleepers. Meta-analysis of prospective studies confirmed a pooled HR of 1.45 (95% CI 1.30-1.62) for long sleep.

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Sleep duration and risk of fatal and nonfatal stroke: a prospective study and meta-analysis.

Authors: Brayne, Carol, Cappuccio, Francesco P, Khaw, Kay-Tee, Leng, Yue, Luben, Robert, Surtees, Paul G, Wainwright, Nick WJ

Published: February 25, 2015

Among 9,692 participants in the EPIC-Norfolk cohort study, long sleep was associated with a 46% increased risk of stroke (HR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.08-1.98) after adjusting for all covariates including age, sex, BMI, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, depression, and comorbidities. The association remained robust in sensitivity analyses excluding participants with preexisting cardiovascular disease. A meta-analysis of prospective studies yielded a pooled HR of 1.45 (95% CI 1.30-1.62) for long sleep duration and stroke risk, confirming the individual study findings across multiple populations.

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