A stroke can be devastating. A sudden, painful experience that often requires physiotherapy, lifestyle changes, and even cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to fully recover from. Even a mild stroke can have a significant impact on your physical and mental well-being, sometimes even requiring ongoing care in the form of live-in care or neurological care.
And while strokes seem sudden, studies have shown that up to 46% of stroke patients experience one or more early stroke warning signs up to a month before a major stroke.
From severe, unexplained headaches to numbness and tingling in the body, identifying the early warning signs of a stroke – and seeking medical assistance – can be lifesaving.
As with any medical issue, it’s important to listen to your body, noting anything unusual and speaking to a medical professional, who’ll perform tests to identify the problem.
By seeking help as soon as you experience warning signs of a stroke – even if they go away – you’ll greatly improve your chances of recovery should a major stroke occur.
With that in mind, we’ve pulled together a list of early warning signs of a stroke.
1. Severe, Unexplained Headaches
We have a tendency to dismiss headaches, don’t we? Typically chalking them up to fatigue, dehydration, or stress. And in most cases, we’re right.
But not always. In fact, a sudden, unusually painful headache can be an early warning sign of a stroke and shouldn’t be ignored.
But how do we define ‘unusually painful’? Well, only you can answer that. You know your body better than anyone, and, as such, you’ll have an acute understanding of how a normal headache (i.e. one caused by stress or such) feels.
Often referred to as a ‘sentinel headache’, the type of headache that occurs before a stroke is abrupt and excruciating; far exceeding the pain threshold of a regular headache. A 2020 study by the Journal of Headache Pain revealed that 15% of participants experienced a so-called sentinel headache in the 7-day period leading up to their stroke.
So, be vigilant. Monitor your body. If something feels off, or more painful than usual, speak to your GP as soon as possible.
2. Difficultly With Vision
Much like headaches, we often shrug off difficulties with vision, linking them instead to migraines, issues with prescription lenses, or even age-related macular degeneration.
But, also like headaches, difficulty with vision – often presenting as blurry or soupy – can be an early warning sign of a stroke.
In most cases, blurry or pixelated vision is caused by underlying medical conditions or injuries, but in these instances, the issue would present gradually and persist until treated.
With a stroke, however, the difficulty with vision arrives quickly and fully formed, often up to a week before the stroke itself, and sometimes as a symptom of a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), a type of mini-stroke that we’ll discuss later.
On community message boards, people who have experienced strokes often mention blurry, pixelated or distorted vision in the days (and moments) leading up to a stroke. Some even mention up to a third of their vision being ‘blocked’ by a small, grey circle on the lead up to their stroke.
As with headaches (and several other major stroke warning signs), it’s easy to dismiss issues with vision, but it’s important to know what’s normal for you and report anything unusual to your GP.
3. Confusion
Perhaps the most known long-term effect of a stroke, confusion is also an early warning sign of an impending stroke, often presenting up to a month before the stroke itself.
But sadly, confusion is often dismissed as a natural part of ageing, or even a side-effect of various medications, so it can be overlooked as one of the major stroke warning signs.
However, in recent years, doctors have discovered that many people experienced bouts of confusion and difficulties with comprehension in the days or weeks before a major stroke or TIA.
But confusion is a tricky concept to pin down, and the type of confusion can vary from person to person. That said, there are several key things to watch out for, including:
- Difficulty listening to/understanding speech
- Comprehension issues (i.e. ability to understand information)
- Difficulty speaking (including struggling to find words or slurred speech)
As with several other stroke warning signs, you may experience confusion in the days and weeks leading up to a stroke, so it’s important to report anything out of the ordinary to your GP as soon as possible.
4. Dizziness and Coordination Issues
As we age, dizziness becomes a more common issue. Typically, this is caused by the body’s natural ageing process, as the heart becomes less effective at pumping blood around the body. Similar is true of coordination, with everything from our grip strength to balance affected by muscle loss and the shortening of bones. Both are (usually) natural steps in the ageing process.
However, both dizziness and coordination issues can be early warning signs of a stroke, especially if they’re out of the ordinary for you.
As with headaches, vision, and confusion it’s important to know what’s normal for you. For example, if dizziness only usually affects you when you stand up too quickly, but suddenly you feel dizzy without a clear cause, you should speak with your GP.
The same is true for coordination. If your balance is mostly fine, factoring in the natural ageing process, and suddenly you find yourself stumbling and tripping without warning, your brain is likely alerting you to a change.
Dizziness often occurs with other stroke warning signs, such as blurry vision or a sudden headache, sometimes days and weeks before a major stroke.
As with every sign and symptom on this list, if something doesn’t feel right, speak to your GP immediately.
5.Transient Ischemic Attack
Often referred to as a ‘mini’ or ‘mild’ stroke, a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is caused by a temporary disruption to the blood supply in part of the brain, which results in a lack of oxygen to the brain.
Despite their framing as ‘mild’, Transient Ischemic Attacks are serious medical issues and often serve as a warning sign that a major stroke is imminent. In fact, according to an article on patient info, approximately 15% of people who experience a TIA go on to have a major stroke, with the incidence of TIAs sitting at around 50 in 100,000 people.
In most cases, TIAs are sudden, and present with symptoms including:
- Slurred speech
- Confusion
- Numbness in one side of the body
- Blurry vision, double vision, or blindness
- Sudden, painful headache
Typically, TIAs last for several minutes, with symptoms disappearing completely within an hour.
And therein lies the problem. Based on a lack of information surrounding TIAs, and their framing as ‘mild’, people often ignore them, writing them off as a ‘funny turn’. But they’re anything but. TIAs are severe in and of themselves, but they’re also a warning sign from your body that something is wrong, and a major stroke may be near.
If you think you’ve experienced at TIA, no matter how ‘mild’, speak to your GP or visit A&E as soon as possible.
What to Do If You Experience Warning Signs of a Stroke
A stroke is a serious issue, with potentially lifelong effects. It shouldn’t be ignored. And the same is true of stroke warning signs, no matter how mild.
In some cases, you might experience warning signs before a stroke that vanish entirely, but that doesn’t mean the risk has passed. Think of the symptoms, whether headache, blurry vision, or dizziness, as your body’s early warning system, signalling to you that something is wrong.
If you experience any of the symptoms discussed in this blog it’s important that you seek medical attention immediately. Depending on the severity, that might mean booking an appointment with your GP, or attending A&E.
By doing so, you’ll hugely improve your chances of making a full recovery or even stave off a potential stroke by making some lifestyle adjustments, as recommended by a healthcare professional.
But whatever you do, don’t ignore the signs.
For more information on strokes, please consult our blog where you’ll find articles on everything from the benefits of live-in care when recovering from a stroke to the signs of death after a stroke
If you feel that you or a loved one might benefit from a little extra support at home, check out our variety of live-in care services.