Ways to Prevent Winter Stroke

In winter, blood vessels contract in the cold wave, making them vulnerable to stroke, but as spring approaches, blood vessels that have not adapted to the temperature difference shrink sharply during the change of seasons, increasing the risk of stroke.

Stroke is found in many of the patients who visited the emergency room after suffering from sudden headaches, dizziness, and speech disorders. Most people think it is a temporary phenomenon and pass it easily, but if headaches or dizziness appear repeatedly, you should suspect a stroke.

In Korea alone, one person occurs every five minutes, and one person dies of a stroke every 20 minutes. This is the second among the total mortality rates in Korea after various cancers, and it is the first scary disease in terms of single organ mortality.

Symptoms of stroke include paralysis or sensory abnormalities in one limb, pronunciation disorders, speech disorders, facial paralysis, dizziness, and severe headaches, and these symptoms suddenly occur when a stroke occurs. Stroke is a time-sensitive disease, and brain cells do not recover once they are damaged, so it is very important to keep the golden time for initial treatment.

The first way to prevent stroke is to quit smoking. Smoking is the root of all illnesses as well as stroke. Smoking is a must. Drinking is recommended to consume a small amount of alcohol within one to two cups a day. It is known that eating more than that increases the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage, and doubles the incidence of daily drinking.

The second is dietary control. The most emphasized thing in diet is salt and sodium intake. The recommended daily intake of sodium is about 1500mg, and the average sodium capacity of ramen is about 1700mg. If you eat all of the ramen including the soup, you will pass this standard lightly. It is said that salt intake is reduced by about one-third when eating only solid ingredients.

Third, exercise is important. When exercising, it is recommended to do aerobic exercises such as walking, running, cycling, and swimming three to four times a week. You can do proper aerobic exercise considering your age and physical strength.

Writer: Yeyoung Jeon (Lina)

Works Cited

이잎새 . “[건강] 5분마다 1명씩 발생하는 뇌졸중, 온도차 커지는 환절기에 더 조심해야.” 충남일보, 20 Oct. 2022, http://www.chungnamilbo.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=684427.

(Picture from Unsplash)