SLEEPING on high pillows could increase your risk of stroke, a study suggests.
Using “shogun” style pillows can make the killer medical event more likely because of the way the neck bends, Japanese researchers found.
Sleeping on high pillows could increase your risk of stroke, a study suggests
The up to 16cm high pillows were popular among samurais in the 17th and 19th centuries because they allowed them to keep their elaborate hairstyles in place while they snoozed.
But the study suggests high pillow usage accounts for around 10 per cent of spontaneous vertebral artery dissections — when the artery supplying blood to the brain tears — in the modern day.
Dr Tomotaka Tanaka, of the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, told the Asahi Shimbun: “There are quite a few people who use buckwheat pillows with low rebound pillows or towels on top of them.
“It is advisable to refrain from using pillows that are more than 15cm high because even if the pillow is soft, it causes severe neck flexion.”
Around 100,000 Brits suffer strokes every year, with 35,000 dying.
They occur when the blood supply to the brain is cut off.
Some 2 per cent of ischaemic strokes — when the blood is blocked by a clot — are caused by spontaneous vertebral artery dissections.
In people aged 15 to 45, the ratio rises to 10 percent.
The condition causes a small tear to one or more of the three layers of tissue in the artery, disruption blood flow.
The study, published in the European Stroke Journal, looked at whether using high pillows increased the risk of spontaneous vertebral artery dissections.
Researchers tracked 106 patients treated at a certified comprehensive stroke centre in Japan between 2018 and 2023 and measured their pillows.
High pillows were considered to be 12 cm, while 15cm or higher was considered “extraordinarily high”.
Half suffered spontaneous vertebral artery dissections while half did not.
Some 34 per cent of those who suffered the condition had pillows greater than 12cm high, while only 15 per cent of those who weren’t in the group did.
Researchers said using high pillows pushes people’s chins to their chest, which can damage blood vessels when they turn in their sleep.
What are the symptoms of stroke?
The FAST method – which stands for Face, Arms, Speech, Time – is the easiest way to remember the most common symptoms of stroke:
F = Face drooping – if one side of a person’s face is dropped or numb then ask them to smile, if it’s uneven then you should seek help.
A = Arm weakness – if one arm is weak or numb then you should ask the person to raise both arms. If one arm drifts downwards then you might need to get help
S = Speech difficulty – if a person’s speech is slurred then this could be a sign of a stroke
T = Time to call 999 – if a person has the signs above then you need to call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US for emergency care.
Other symptoms include:
sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body
difficulty finding words
sudden blurred vision or loss of sight
sudden confusion, dizziness or unsteadiness
a sudden and severe headache
difficulty understanding what others are saying
difficulty swallowing