Experts agree, anyone can have a stroke at any age. But certain risk factors, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, can increase your chances of having a stroke. Now add to this list the possibility of working long hours! That's according to a new study that found people, particularly those under age 50, have a higher risk of stroke when working long hours for a decade or more.

The research, published in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke, found that participants working long hours had a 29% greater risk of stroke, and those working long hours for 10 years or more had a 45% greater risk of stroke.

"Stress can cause the heart to work harder and increase blood pressure," says Martin Gizzi, MD, PhD, Vice Chair of Neurology and Director, Cerebrovascular Diseases Program at Hackensack University Medical Center, who explains that this can increase the risk of a blood clot forming, traveling to the brain and causing a stroke. "If this happens, it is important for people to recognize the signs of a stroke because time is of the essence."

The time to initiate these treatments for an acute ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke, has generally been limited to within 4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms. But recently, this window was expanded at a small number of hospitals.