A wake-up stroke is a stroke that occurs during sleep. In these cases, the person goes to bed feeling normal but wakes up with symptoms of a stroke. Unfortunately, because the person has been asleep, it's unclear when the stroke occurred.
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.
Sleep apnea can cause a stroke, since low oxygen levels combine with high blood pressure or hypertension. Having a stroke while asleep is particularly dangerous because treatment is so time sensitive.
What causes wake-up stroke? Dr Bellolio explained that wake up strokes were influenced by circadian or night time changes in blood clotting, hormone levels and neurological function and like cardiac events, strokes were more common in the morning.
The most severe strokes can leave a person unable to respond, or in a sleep-like state. This is sometimes called unconsciousness or coma, and it means that important parts of the brain are not working well. Coma is a worrying sign, as it may mean that the stroke is severe enough that the person may not survive.
Facial drooping, often only on one side. Arm or leg weakness. Speech difficulties. Dizziness.
It's unknown how long a stroke-induced coma will last in any individual since every stroke is different. A coma rarely lasts more than 2-4 weeks.
With this treatment, your likelihood of recovery is greatly increased and your quality of life much improved. The problem is that about 25% of strokes occur during sleep.
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.
Time of Day
Both STEMI and stroke are most likely to occur in the early hours of the morning—specifically around 6:30am.
A person experiencing a TIA might feel sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, have slurred speech, have trouble seeing or talking, and feel confused. The person may experience a combination of these symptoms at the same time. “The real takeaway?
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.
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.
During the first few days after your stroke, you might be very tired and need to recover from the initial event. Meanwhile, your team will identify the type of stroke, where it occurred, the type and amount of damage, and the effects. They may perform more tests and blood work.
What is Pre-Stroke? Sometimes, there is a smaller, temporary clot that is quickly resolved, though the symptoms will be similar thanks to the effect such clots have on the brain. This is known as a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or “Pre-Stroke,” and often points to a more life-threatening attack on its way.
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.
Approximately 20 to 40 percent of stroke survivors experience sleep-wake cycle disorders, also known as “circadian disturbances,” which means that your sleep schedule is no longer determined by day and night.
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.
Stress can cause the heart to work harder, increase blood pressure, and increase sugar and fat levels in the blood. These things, in turn, can increase the risk of clots forming and travelling to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.