Disturbed sleep for any layman could mean irritability but fragmented sleep, which would mean sleep interrupted by frequent awakenings, in old people signals a far greater malaise than what meets eye the eye.
Senior citizens deprived of sound sleep are susceptible to higher stroke risk and hardened brain arteries, the findings of a new study published in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke revealed.
Researchers found that poor sleep quality in elderly persons is associated with more severe arteriosclerosis as well as a greater burden of oxygen-starved tissue. These could contribute to the risk of stroke and cognitive impairment.
The findings suggest that sleep monitoring may potentially be another way to identify seniors who may be at risk of stroke. It calls for further needed work to clarify several points. These include whether brain blood vessel damage is a consequence or a cause of sleep fragmentation, the role of specific contributors to sleep fragmentation such as sleep apnea and the underlying biological mechanisms.
This is a first study to look specifically for an association between sleep fragmentation and detailed microscopic measures of blood vessel damage and infarcts in autopsied brain tissue.
In the study, researchers examined autopsied brains of 315 people who had undergone at least one full week of around-the-clock monitoring for rest or activity, from which sleep quality and circadian rhythms were quantified. The average age of the group was 90, and almost 70 percent were women.
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January 30, 2026 15:51 ET The Federal Reserve policy decision was the main event in the final week of January, which saw a heavy flow of economics news. Several data reflecting the trends in the U.S. economy were also released during the week. The interest rate decision from Canada also was in focus. In Europe, economic sentiment data gained attention. The policy decision from Singapore was the highlight in Asia.