Why strokes occur in the morning

We start with a regular computed tomography CT of the head to rule out other causes of the symptoms, like a head bleed or brain tumour. Then we do another x-ray type test called a CT angiogram , [where a CT scanner is used to produce detailed images of blood vessels and tissues in various parts of the body. A dye is usually injected through a small catheter placed in a vein of the arm] that gives contrast to the arteries and looks for patients that might be eligible for thrombectomy.

And lastly, we look for brain perfusion, to see if there is an area to the brain where the blood flow has been reduced because of the stroke but not yet completely blocked infarcted. After this evaluation, a small group of patients with wake-up stroke will be eligible for thrombectomy and will be transferred to Stroke Centres, where they can have the procedure.

Dr Bellolio said it was vital that patients who awaken with stroke symptoms go immediately to the Emergency Department. The treatment for strokes depends on the time of the symptoms. The future of wake-up stroke looks positive as new developments and recent studies have provided examples where these types of strokes can be treated more actively.

Stroke News 29th Oct Coronavirus News 26th Oct Stroke News 15th Oct Heart News 26th Aug The prevalence for strokes in the morning was the same in every group they looked at: men and women, blacks, whites and Hispanics, Elkind says.

Elkind adds they had expected to see the same pattern for hemorrhagic stroke, but they didn't. He believes there were too few hemorrhagic strokes in the study group to determine a consistent pattern. In addition to stroke, these circadian rhythms seem to apply to heart attack and breathing problems, which are also more common in the early morning, he adds.

The most important thing, Elkind says, is that "when you suspect that you or a family member is having a stroke, get to the hospital fast, because there are treatments available. David L. Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center at Yale University, comments that while the explanations for the increased risk of stroke and heart attack in the morning have to do with variations in hormone levels and blood pressure, "there is also a common-sense component: going from asleep in bed to the challenges of the day is stressful.

He adds that "this stressful transition is downright dangerous for those with underlying vascular disease. Katz also notes this study emphasizes the need to manage vascular risk factors all day. The best defense against stroke or heart attack in the early morning or at any other time is healthy blood vessels, Katz says.

This is an instance where the proverbial ounce of prevention is fully worth a pound of cure," he says. Acquire the license to the best health content in the world. Circadian rhythms play a role in the trend, study shows.

For instance, platelets, the tiny solid particles found in blood are known to stick together more easily - and possibly form a clot - in the morning. The blood also tends to be thicker at this time. When blood is less thick and sticky, excessive bleeding is more likely, raising the risk of a haemorrhagic stroke. The study also found that one type of stroke - ischaemic strokes -were much more likely to occur during sleep than haemorrhagic strokes. Around a fifth of ischaemic strokes occurred during sleep.

Most were concentrated in the period immediately before waking up, although the stroke would probably have begun earlier. Joe Korner, of the Stroke Association said: "Previous studies have shown that stroke risk does vary over the 24 hour cycle and that occurrence during sleep is most common for ischaemic strokes.

However, more information is required about the different subtypes of ischaemic stroke - there are several different types, each with very different causes. Low graphics Accessibility help. News services Your news when you want it.

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