Lifestyle changes can significantly reduce risk of brain stroke. One can recognise it by its early symptoms and take preventive measures

Understanding the Neurological Damage of a Stroke: What Happens in Your BrainDr Praveen Gupta, Principal Director & Chief of Neurology, Fortis HospitalBeing the central organ of the human nervous system, the brain controls both motor and sensory functions throughout the body.

During a stroke, the blood supply to a part of the brain is obstructed depriving the brain of much-needed oxygen and nutrients. This lack of oxygen damages the brain cells resulting in inflammation and swelling in the brain. As the blood supply remains obstructed, more cells die, weakening the blood-brain barrier. This breakdown of the barrier causes water to enter the brain, worsening the swelling.

The swelling usually lasts for seven days, following which the brain’s natural mechanisms begin to take effect, causing the swelling to subside as the body starts to repair the damaged tissue. How Strokes Can Be Prevented,

A healthy lifestyle is key to the prevention of stroke. To begin with, consume a diet rich in fresh fruits and veggies, have walnuts and almonds, engage in regular physical activity, aim for 30 minutes of walking every day, take care of central abdominal obesity, control your salt intake (less than 6 grams per day) along with eating food low in saturated fats like oil, butter, ghee.

In addition, develop a proper sleep schedule to get at least six to eight hours of peaceful sleep every night, and avoid smoking and excess alcohol intake. Also, you need to be watchful of excess pollution and keep your blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure under control. In addition to a healthy lifestyle, you need to keep other parameters in check. If you suffer from heart disease, it’s essential to take appropriate medical care to prevent the clots from moving to the brain.

This can control the possibility of strokes in at least 50 per cent of people.Warning signs everyone should know.The warning signs of stroke can be classified as BEFAST, where B stands for balance. Being unable to walk properly or losing your balance can be one of the first signs of stroke. E is for eyes – if you suffer from a stroke; you may have difficulty seeing properly or have double vision. 

F is for face, your face droops to one side, A is for arms – you may have trouble lifting one of your arms and S is for speech - there is slurring of speech or inability to speak. T is for time. Time is of the essence when you suffer from a stroke. A person suffering from a stroke loses 1.9 million brain cells for every minute. A person's risk of being disabled or dying increases with the length of time they have a stroke.If you can recognize the symptoms of a stroke within the first four and a half hours, you can receive clot-busting drugs, which can break the clot, restore the blood supply to the brain, and prevent the occurrence of a cascade of events.

(The writer is a Principal Director & Chief of Neurology, Fortis Hospital; views expressed are personal)