What happens to the brain before a stroke?

A stroke, sometimes call a brain attack, happens in one of two ways: A blocked artery or a ruptured artery. A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. In either case, parts of the brain become damaged or die.

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What does your brain feel like before a stroke?

Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.

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What happens right before you have a stroke?

Weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, usually on one side of the body. Trouble speaking or understanding. Problems with vision, such as dimness or loss of vision in one or both eyes. Dizziness or problems with balance or coordination.

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Are there warning signs days before a stroke?

Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke. One study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.

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How long before a stroke causes brain damage?

Brain Damage Occurs Within Minutes From The Onset Of A Stroke, Study Reveals. Summary: Harmful changes to the brain's synaptic connections occur within the first three minutes following a stroke. The finding, using mouse models, suggests cardiac arrest and stroke in humans would trigger a similar chain of events.

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Stroke Survivor, 28, Shares Symptoms And Warning Signs

27 related questions found

What is exactly happening during a stroke?

A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. In either case, parts of the brain become damaged or die. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death.

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What is the average lifespan after a stroke?

How Does a Stroke Impact Life Expectancy? Despite the likelihood of making a full recovery, life expectancy after stroke incidents can decrease. Unfortunately, researchers have observed a wide range of life expectancy changes in stroke patients, but the average reduction in lifespan is nine and a half years.

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What are the 4 silent signs of a stroke?

Unlike events such as a heart attack where there could be obvious signs of discomfort or pain, a silent stroke may include the following symptoms:
  • Sudden lack of balance.
  • Temporary loss of basic muscle movement (bladder included)
  • Slight memory loss.
  • Sudden changes in mood or personality.

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What triggers a stroke?

There are two main causes of stroke: a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or leaking or bursting of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). Some people may have only a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), that doesn't cause lasting symptoms.

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What time of day do strokes usually occur?

This meta-analysis of 11 816 strokes provides strong evidence that the onset of stroke symptoms has a circadian variation, with a higher risk in the early morning hours (6 am to noon), and lower risk during the nighttime period (midnight to 6 am).

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Can you stop a stroke from occurring?

Many strokes could be prevented through healthy lifestyle changes and working with your health care team to control health conditions that raise your risk for stroke. You can help prevent stroke by making healthy lifestyle choices. Find tips and resources to help you make healthy choices that are right for you.

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What are the warning signs 7 days before a stroke?

Face drooping – Your face has started to droop or go slack on one side. Arm weakness – This weakness actually applies to your face, your arm, or your leg on either side. Speech difficulty – Your words are slurred or jumbled and you're having trouble understanding others. Time to call 911!

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What is the first stage of a stroke?

The first stage is flaccidity , and occurs immediately post-stroke. Muscles will be weak, limp, or even "floppy." Because a stroke often affects one side more than the other, this flaccidity may be limited to just one side.

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What can be mistaken for stroke?

One of the most common stroke mimics is a seizure, which researchers believe account for as many as 20% of all stroke mimics. Other common stroke mimics include migraines, syncope, sepsis, brain tumor and metabolic derangement (low sodium or low blood sugar).

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What is a silent stroke?

What does that mean? A. A silent stroke refers to a stroke that doesn't cause any noticeable symptoms. Most strokes are caused by a clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain. The blockage prevents blood and oxygen from reaching that area, causing nearby brain cells to die.

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Can drinking water help prevent a stroke?

Drink a lot of water: You should drink at least five glasses of water per day, and this will reduce your risk of stroke by 53%, according to a recent study by Loma Linda University.

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Who are prone to stroke?

Who is at risk for a stroke?
  • High blood pressure. ...
  • Heart disease. ...
  • Diabetes. ...
  • Smoking. ...
  • Birth control pills (oral contraceptives)
  • History of TIAs (transient ischemic attacks). ...
  • High red blood cell count. ...
  • High blood cholesterol and lipids.

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Can stress cause strokes?

It's known that stress from work is bad for your health, including causing an increase in your risk for cardiovascular disease, particularly high blood pressure and heart disease. If you've wondered specifically if stress can cause a stroke, too, the answer is unfortunately, yes.

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Do strokes run in families?

Stroke seems to run in some families. Several factors may contribute to familial stroke. Members of a family might have a genetic tendency for stroke risk factors, such as an inherited predisposition for high blood pressure (hypertension) or diabetes.

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How do you tell if you've had a mini stroke?

Symptoms
  1. Weakness, numbness or paralysis in the face, arm or leg, typically on one side of the body.
  2. Slurred or garbled speech or difficulty understanding others.
  3. Blindness in one or both eyes or double vision.
  4. Vertigo or loss of balance or coordination.

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Can an MRI detect a stroke before it happens?

Unlike a CT scan, which takes several hours to reveal any blockages of blood flow, an MRI can uncover any brain damage within an hour of the onset of the stroke symptoms.

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Can you have a stroke in your sleep?

Background It is reported that 13% to 44% of all cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) occur during sleep. In addition to other well-known risk factors, snoring, sleep apnea, obesity, and daytime sleepiness have been shown to significantly increase the risk of stroke.

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Will you ever be the same after a stroke?

Recovery time after a stroke is different for everyone—it can take weeks, months, or even years. Some people recover fully, but others have long-term or lifelong disabilities.

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How likely is a second stroke?

Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.

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What is considered a massive stroke?

A massive stroke commonly refers to strokes (any type) that result in death, long-term paralysis, or coma. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists three main types of stroke: Ischemic stroke, caused by blood clots. Hemorrhagic stroke, caused by ruptured blood vessels that cause brain bleeding.

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