Sleep and Stroke: Opening Our Eyes to Current Knowledge of a Key Relationship

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To elucidate the interconnection between sleep and stroke. RECENT FINDINGS: Growing data support a bidirectional relationship between stroke and sleep. In particular, there is strong evidence that sleep-disordered breathing plays a pivotal role as risk factor and concur to worsening functional outcome. Conversely, for others sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements of sleep, REM sleep behavior disorder), the evidence is weak. Moreover, sleep disturbances are highly prevalent also in chronic stroke and concur to worsening quality of life of patients. Promising novel technologies will probably allow, in a near future, to guarantee a screening of commonest sleep disturbances in a larger proportion of patients with stroke. SUMMARY: Sleep assessment and management should enter in the routinary evaluation of stroke patients, of both acute and chronic phase. Future research should focus on the efficacy of specific sleep intervention as a therapeutic option for stroke patients.