Contents
A morning stroke, also known as a wake-up stroke, is a type of ischemic stroke that occurs while you are not awake but asleep. It covers up to 25 percent. all diagnosed stroke cases and can be really sneaky. Find out how your stroke manifests itself when you wake up, what could be causing it, and who is most at risk of it.
- For the so-called morning stroke occurs while you sleep. Symptoms do not become apparent until you wake up
- Wake-up stroke is very dangerous because in treating a stroke, the time from the onset of symptoms is important. However, patients are not aware that something is wrong because they are asleep
- Common symptoms of a morning stroke include headache, dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty carrying out daily activities
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Stroke
Ischemic stroke accounts for the majority of diagnosed cases. It occurs when the brain is supplied with too little blood, or when the artery that supplies blood directly to the brain becomes blocked.
It is a serious neurological condition that, contrary to popular belief, does not only affect the elderly. Increasingly, the disease is faced by young people who experience characteristic ailments that can even lead to permanent disability. Statistics show that every year in Poland there is a stroke in nearly 90. people, of which approx. 30 thousand. It doesn’t come out of it anymore.
A large group of patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke are people who have experienced the so-called wake-up stroke. It occurs during sleep, and symptoms begin as soon as you wake up. How do you recognize a morning stroke? Its early detection may allow for a quick reaction and safe – and most importantly – effective implementation of causal treatment.
Further part below the video.
What is morning stroke?
A wake-up stroke is a stroke that occurs in the early morning hours. It occurs quite often – current data show that morning stroke reaches about 1/5 of all diagnosed cases. It is estimated that its symptoms usually appear between 6.00 a.m. and 9.00 a.m. Because of this, it is difficult to determine when an ischemic stroke actually occurred, which makes it much more difficult to take the appropriate steps to help a patient with a wake-up stroke.
Interestingly, none of the characteristic symptoms of a morning stroke show up before going to bed. This fact makes it difficult to implement appropriate treatment and provide assistance to the patient, as it is difficult to determine at what time the person has not yet struggled with the symptoms of a stroke and was fully functional. This information is extremely important for physicians because it allows the initiation of causal treatment, which in the case of ischemic strokes is thrombectomy and thrombolysis. These methods can only be used when the so-called the time window, which on the example of thrombolysis is determined for a maximum of 4,5 hours. If the method of dissolving blood clots in the brain is implemented too late, there is a high risk of complications, which can pose a serious threat to the health and life of the patient.
- What is your heart condition? Don’t wait – do your research! You can buy a diagnostic test package at Medonet Market
Who is most at risk? Possible causes of morning stroke
The morning stroke is considered to be more complicated than the waking stroke. Some of the observations also show that wake-up stroke gives worse clinical results and a more severe mileage. Mortality rates also include higher numbers – it is estimated that deaths from morning strokes rank third right after cancer and cardiac ailments. Why do they happen in the early morning hours?
In the morning, when the REM sleep phase is prolonged, dreams and visions are most active. In this sleep cycle, specific behaviors of the body become characteristic, such as: rapid eye movements, increased brain activity, increased heart rate and quite irregular, irregular breathing. The brain focuses on the reception and interpretation of dreams and what it feels internally, while external stimuli are ignored. It is at this time that morning strokes occur.
Patients particularly at risk of suffering from ischemic stroke upon awakening are those who struggle with episodes of respiratory arrest and hyperventilation (obstructive sleep apnea). Moreover, a large group is the elderly, suffering from heart disease, atherosclerosis, problems with blood clotting disorders, diabetes or patients who have had a stroke in the past. In addition, the group at greater risk includes those who do not care about rest, adequate sleep, struggle with high levels of stress on a daily basis, are characterized by low physical activity and an incorrect, unhealthy diet.
- Find out what your symptoms mean. Do a short TEST and find out what’s wrong with you
Wake-up stroke symptoms – see how to recognize a stroke when you wake up
If someone close to you woke up in a much worse condition, although nothing was wrong with you before going to bed, it could be a sign that you had a stroke while you were asleep. This is a specific group of patients, where the provision of assistance is associated with a greater risk and is more complicated, as it is difficult to precisely determine how long ago the changes in the brain occurred.
Do the most common symptoms of morning stroke belong:
- headache and dizziness;
- difficulties in understanding verbal messages;
- difficulties in the independent expression of words and words, creating logical sentences and verbal statements (speech disorders);
- weakness in the limbs and their numbness;
- poor picture reception (visual disturbance);
- fine and gross motor disorders (difficulties with moving, moving, lifting objects, dressing, writing, drinking, eating, etc.).
If you have identified any of the conditions described, please do not hesitate to call for help. All these symptoms are extremely disturbing signs pointing to neurological problems that cannot be ignored or wait for them to stop. An ischemic stroke that occurs while you sleep is really dangerous. You have to act very quickly, and a moment of delay may turn out to be a sentence that decides about living with a disability, and ultimately even death.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time Kamila Wykrota, the resilience trainer, will tell us about what resilience is. How does the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and react to adversities affect our quality of life? You will find out by listening to the latest episode of our podcast.