A brain stroke is a very serious medical condition in which blood supply to the brain is cut off or a blood vessel in the brain is ruptured. Due to this, the brain cells start to get damaged. Many times a person has a stroke while sleeping and it is known after waking up in the morning, which is called ‘Wake-up Stroke’ in medical language. In such a case, the person is quite normal while sleeping at night, but on waking up in the morning, he starts having difficulty in speaking, walking or moving any part of the body. Ignoring such symptoms can prove fatal.
How does a stroke occur in sleep?
A stroke can occur at any time during the day or night. This happens when a blood clot forms in a vein that supplies blood to the brain or a cerebral vein ruptures. In both these conditions, brain cells start to get damaged without oxygen. High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease increase the risk of stroke. Apart from this, smoking, lack of physical exercise and irregular diet are also its main risk factors.
These symptoms appear in the morning
A patient who has had a sleep stroke may experience the following symptoms after waking up in the morning:
- Sudden weakness or numbness in an arm or leg of a body part.
- Turning or bending the face to one side.
- Slurred speech or difficulty understanding the person in front of you.
- Sudden blurred vision, dizziness or loss of balance while walking.
- In some patients, sudden onset of excruciating headache.
If any of these symptoms appear after waking up in the morning, do not make the mistake of ignoring them as a result of general fatigue or incomplete sleep. These are direct symptoms of stroke and the patient needs to be rushed to the hospital.
What to do when a stroke occurs?
If a person experiences such symptoms in the morning, he should seek medical treatment without any delay. It is especially important to inform the doctor on arrival at the hospital when the patient was last seen completely healthy and what symptoms first appeared on waking in the morning. The golden hour is very important in the treatment of stroke. Do not give any home medicine to the patient without doctor’s advice, as the treatment of stroke due to vein blockage or vein rupture is quite different.
