How sleep and exercise affect your risk of having a stroke

Getting the right amount of sleep and exercise can have a huge impact on your risk of having a stroke, says a new study.

Researchers tracked the health and lifestyle choices of nearly 290,000 adults over the course of nearly 10 years.

See also: How the weather affects your risk of having a stroke

People who sleep for seven to eight hours a night were 25% less likely to have a stroke.

See also: Does working long hours affect your risk of stroke?

If they also exercise for 30 minutes three to six times a week, the risk was even lower.

On the other hand, getting fewer than seven hours a night increased the risk of stroke by 22%.

More than eight hours was also linked to to an increased risk. In fact, longer sleepers had an increased risk of 146%.

According to the Stroke Association, most strokes are preventable. It says: "Although you cannot change some of the things that increase your risk of stroke, like your age, there are others that you can change."

These include: managing your medical conditions properly, stopping smoking, drinking less alcohol, staying a healthy weight, doing more exercise and eating a healthy diet.

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