Sleep disorders were linked to cognitive impairment in stroke patients
Stroke patients with sleep disorders had higher odds of cognitive impairment in observational studies. Similar associations appeared in follow-up studies and studies measuring patients at one time; causation remains unproven.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review found an association between sleep disorders and cognitive impairment among stroke patients. Studies following patients over time and studies assessing them at one time both supported that association. However, these observational findings do not establish that sleep disorders caused cognitive impairment, or that treating sleep disorders would improve cognition after stroke.
The abstract does not provide follow-up lengths or details of how individual studies accounted for other influences on cognition. Those omissions limit interpretation of the timing and independence of the association.
What researchers found
Cognitive impairment in follow-up studies
Stroke patients with versus without sleep disorders: odds ratio 2.35, 95% confidence interval 1.67 to 3.31. Follow-up duration is not reported.
Understanding the odds ratio
Odds compare the chance of an outcome with the chance of it not occurring. The reported ratio is not an individual's probability of cognitive impairment and cannot be read as a percentage increase in risk.
Different observational designs
Follow-up studies track patients over time, whereas cross-sectional studies assess them at one time. Agreement between these designs strengthens the description of an association, but neither comparison here tested a sleep treatment's effect on cognition.
The original publication
Impact of Sleep Disorders on Cognitive Function in Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Wang Y, Han L, Man Z et al.
Behav Sleep Med · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40767098
- Record checked
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