Why Do Strokes Happen Often in the Early Morning?

The American Heart Association has published the results of a recent study on stroke, which found that a person's risk of having a stroke is nearly 80% higher between 6am and 12pm than at other times of the day.

Researchers explain that the risk of stroke concentrated in the morning is evidence of a "circadian shift," meaning that the risk of stroke changes according to the body's 24-hour biological cycle.

When you wake up in the morning, the concentration of hormones in the body changes as you move from a lying position to an active position. This hormonal change causes two conditions: increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and increased arterial tone.

Normally, at 3am, the body's blood pressure can drop to its lowest level, then gradually increase and increase rapidly when you wake up. When you wake up, your body releases adrenaline and other stress hormones. This increases blood pressure and oxygen demand.

After a night, your body loses a large amount of water and your blood becomes more concentrated. At this time, your heart must work harder to pump blood.

When blood pressure increases, the heart's oxygen demand increases. The difference in blood pressure makes your heart unstable, increasing the risk of damage to atherosclerotic plaques. At this time, atherosclerotic plaques will activate platelets and form blood clots that block cerebral blood vessels and lead to stroke due to acute cerebral ischemia.

In addition, Nitric oxide (abbreviated as NO) plays an important role in hemostasis, participating in most biological processes of the body including awakening, regulating blood and nutrition to nourish the body, pain sensation, sexual function...

In addition, the activity of NO also plays an important role in the aging process, increasing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to nourish the body through the expansion of blood vessels. This is a decisive factor in stroke or diabetes...

The NO consumption process is greatest at night, so when you wake up early in the morning, the body often lacks NO. This is also one of the causes of stroke in the early morning.

- Do not wake up suddenly

Stroke in the early morning can cause many dangerous complications. Therefore, when you wake up in the morning, do not rush out of bed and change clothes. You should stay in bed for another 5 minutes to let the organs in the body slowly wake up. The activities of the organs in the body are different, so jumping up or sitting up suddenly will "shock" the brain, leading to insufficient blood supply to the brain, easily causing cerebral hemorrhage.

- Exercise in bed

Instead of getting dressed right away, you can lie in bed and stretch your arms and legs for a few minutes. After a night's rest, the body is still sluggish, blood circulation is still slow. Therefore, stretching your arms and legs at this time will help speed up blood circulation in the body.

- Stand up gently

After performing the above two steps, slowly stand up and get out of bed. You will feel your mind is very alert and refreshed at this time. You cannot start the new day effectively if your mind is still "half awake and half asleep".

For middle-aged people and older, standing up slowly can limit falls. Therefore, you need to wait until the brain is completely alert and has enough blood supply to the brain before waking up.

- Drink water after waking up

Morning is the golden time for health. After completing the above 3 movements, it is best to go to the toilet and drink a glass of water. Drinking a glass of water after waking up can help thin the blood and prevent cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, constipation, etc.

In addition, if possible, stand by the window to breathe fresh air every morning. This is a good habit that must be done every morning if you want to have good health to start a new day.

Screening for diseases that can cause stroke
According to experts, high blood pressure is considered one of the highest risk factors for stroke, so controlling blood pressure is the key to preventing stroke.

In addition, diseases such as diabetes, obesity, transient ischemic attack, history of cardiovascular disease, nervous tension, etc. are also risks that can lead to stroke. To detect and prevent these problems early, everyone should have an early stroke risk screening.