Sleep shortage can lead to risk of stroke, heart attack

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- One in three Americans doesn't get enough sleep on a regular basis, according to new federal research.

And that can lead to increased chance of developing unhealthy conditions like stress, high blood pressure and stroke, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

Researchers with New York University, speaking at the International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles this week, also reinforced that CDC study with their own finding that sleeping between seven to eight hours per night can reduce the risk of stroke by 25 percent.

John Houy understands those risks well now. The 73-year-old suffered a heart attack in 2014 and knows that his unhealthy sleeping habits could have been a contributing cause.

Though he ate well, he admits that drinking alcohol before bedtime disrupted his sleep patterns, leading to just four hours of shut-eye some nights. Now he's changed his ways with lifestyle modifications including more regular exercise.

"Now I'm feeling great," he said.