Tomorrow the temperature is about to "plunge". Do you know? For every 10°C decrease in outdoor temperature, a person's blood pressure rises by 6 millimeters of Hg. According to statistics, about 70% of stroke occurs in winter, and during this season, the elderly and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular patients should especially prevent the occurrence of stroke.
In addition to the common concerns of common cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: stabilizing blood pressure, regulating emotions, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol, reasonable diet, avoiding overwork and overload work, and choosing a toilet instead of a squat toilet, there are the following points to keep in mind for high-risk groups of cerebrovascular diseases (including cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage).
1, note to keep warm, turn on the air conditioner, to avoid temperature difference
The incidence of ischemic stroke in the elderly in winter is significantly increased. Therefore, when the cold wave strikes, we must pay attention to keep warm, do not be reluctant to open air conditioning and heating, otherwise, the peripheral blood vessels constrict, hemodynamic changes, blood pressure is easy to rise, resulting in cerebrovascular accidents. In addition, platelet activity in the blood is elevated, and it is easy to form blood clots.
In addition to appropriately increasing or decreasing clothing according to the somatosensory temperature, the elderly can carry out some aerobic exercises suitable for themselves, such as walking, broadcast gymnastics, etc., to promote blood circulation and improve the body's oxygen supply.
It is especially important that when the environment changes, we must avoid too large a temperature difference before and after, especially the elderly should avoid going out directly from the air-conditioned room at home at 27 ° C to the outdoor of zero degrees, and should go out after turning off the air conditioning, under the transition of the 10-20 ° C room, and the drastic temperature difference in a short period of time is also an important factor inducing cerebrovascular events.
2. Play tai chi, practice balance, and prevent falls
For the elderly, in addition to complications such as soft tissue damage, dislocation, and fractures, falls are at risk of intracranial blood vessel rupture. Elderly people often have cerebral arteriosclerosis, the elasticity of the blood vessel wall is significantly reduced, and there is a risk of intracranial blood vessel rupture after fall.
Therefore, the elderly should be particularly careful when moving, especially those with Parkinson's disease or Parkinson's syndrome. Proper exercises (such as tai chi) can enhance muscle strength, strengthen physical flexibility, and exercise balance. In addition, we will build a safe home environment, such as purchasing non-slip shoes, keeping bathrooms dry, and installing safety handles. The prevention and treatment of osteoporosis through calcium supplementation and vitamin D supplementation is also necessary to prevent falls.
3. Move the left hand, promote the right brain, prevent bleeding
Unilateral limb movements in humans are controlled by the contralateral cerebral hemispheres. For example, if the left cerebral hemisphere of the right hand is more burdened, the blood flow rate of the left middle cerebral artery is faster. Long-term high-speed blood flow impact is easy to weaken the elasticity of arteries, and it is more likely to rupture and bleed. The middle cerebral artery, also known as the "hemorrhagic artery", is often caused by bleeding from the rupture of the artery.
For most right-handed people, more use of the left upper limb and the left lower limb, especially the left hand, can reduce the burden of the left hemisphere of the brain, but also exercise the right hemisphere of the brain. It is recommended that the elderly rotate two fitness balls with their left hands in the morning and evening to help the function of the right cerebral hemisphere play normally. Similarly, left-handed patients need to exercise their right hand more to prevent cerebral hemorrhage.
4. Drink more water, dilute blood, and avoid blood clots
It is important to drink plenty of water. It is necessary to maintain sufficient water in the body, dilute the blood, prevent thrombosis, and avoid cerebral infarction induced by insufficient cerebral perfusion due to insufficient blood volume.
Usually, develop the habit of drinking more water, especially before going to bed late and getting up in the morning, drink 1 to 2 cups of warm boiled water. Special reminder to the elderly who need to go out: when taking a means of transportation (long-distance bus, high-speed rail or plane), be sure to get up and exercise every 1-2 hours, and constantly drink water to prevent lower limb thrombosis. Don't go to the bathroom less and not drink, resulting in serious consequences.
5. Pay attention to the aura and seek medical treatment in time
Stroke will have some aura symptoms, such as severe headache, dizziness, syncope without cause, some sudden limb numbness, fatigue or temporary blindness, difficulty in language communication, etc., should be timely medical examination and treatment. For stroke patients, "time is the brain". Early detection, early diagnosis, and early intervention can significantly improve the prognosis of stroke patients.
The well-established "FAST" method at home and abroad can help quickly identify stroke:
F (face): Facial asymmetry, especially when smiling;
A i.e. arm (upper limb): lifting the upper limb, showing fatigue with lifting weakness;
S i.e. speed (speech): repeating a single sentence, speech (speech, intonation, speed, etc.) is abnormal;
T is time (time): When any of the above symptoms occur in the surrounding elderly or yourself, please contact "120" immediately for medical treatment.
Author: Wang Gang Huang Qiang
Editor: Connie Han