Your Body May Be Warning You for Weeks Before a Stroke — Here Are 5 Signs Doctors Say Are Easy to Miss

One moment Sharon Stone was standing behind a sofa in her San Francisco home. The next, she felt what she later described as a "lightning bolt" tearing through her head, and she collapsed. That single, sudden, unbearable headache turned out to be the first sign of a brain hemorrhage that would keep her hospitalized for days and reshape the rest of her life. Her story is a dramatic example of something doctors see constantly in milder form: the body often tries to warn us before a major neurological event, if we're paying attention. (Read Sharon Stone's account in Brain & Life, a publication of the American Academy of Neurology)

A Global Health Emergency, Hiding in Plain Sight

Stroke is one of the leading health challenges of our time. According to data compiled by the World Stroke Organization, roughly 12 million people worldwide experience a stroke every year, and stroke remains among the leading causes of death and long-term disability globally. In May 2026, the World Health Assembly formally recognized stroke as a global public health priority for the first time, underlining just how widespread the problem has become.

What surprises many people is that a stroke rarely appears without any warning at all. Weeks, days, or sometimes just minutes beforehand, the body may already be signaling that something is wrong — through fatigue, brief numbness, a strange headache, or a wave of dizziness that passes almost as quickly as it arrives.

What a "Mini-Stroke" Really Means — and Why It's a Red Flag

When someone experiences brief symptoms such as numbness in an arm, sudden slurred speech, or a short episode of blurred vision, it's tempting to shrug it off, especially once it passes. Doctors call this a transient ischemic attack, or TIA — sometimes referred to informally as a "mini-stroke." It happens when blood flow to part of the brain is briefly interrupted. Symptoms typically resolve within minutes to a few hours.

Feeling normal again afterward is not a sign that the danger has passed. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association, highlighted by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, notes that nearly one in five people who experience a TIA will go on to have a full stroke within three months — and that almost half of those strokes occur within the first two days. That short window afterward is generally considered the highest-risk period.

Dr. Brandon Giglio, a vascular neurologist and director of vascular neurology at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn, has repeatedly urged patients not to dismiss these episodes, stressing that staying on top of routine checkups for blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar is one of the most effective ways to catch risk factors before they lead to something as serious as a stroke. (Source: NeurologyLive interview with Dr. Brandon Giglio, NYU Langone)

5 Warning Signs Worth Paying Attention To

These signs can appear alone or together, and they often last only a few minutes before fading — which is exactly what makes them so easy to brush off:

• Sudden numbness or weakness in one arm or leg — often described as the limb suddenly "falling asleep."


• Trouble speaking — abruptly slurred words, or difficulty understanding what others are saying.


• Vision changes — blurred vision, temporary loss of sight in one eye, or double vision.


• Loss of balance or sudden dizziness — a feeling that the ground is shifting beneath you.


• Facial drooping — one side of the face may sag, and a smile can look uneven.

Because these episodes typically pass on their own, people often assume the problem is over. Medical evaluation as soon as possible after any of these symptoms — even if they've already resolved — is what allows doctors to assess and reduce the risk of a more serious event.

Why Strokes Happen

Most strokes are ischemic: a clot blocks a blood vessel and cuts off blood flow to part of the brain. This is usually linked to the gradual narrowing of blood vessels combined with lifestyle factors over time. A smaller share are hemorrhagic strokes, where a blood vessel in the brain ruptures — often associated with very high blood pressure, as in Sharon Stone's case.

The best-established risk factors, according to major health authorities, include:

• High blood pressure — widely considered the single biggest contributor to stroke risk


• Smoking, which roughly doubles risk in many studies


• Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle


• High cholesterol


• Diabetes


• Heavy alcohol use


• Chronic stress, which can contribute to elevated blood pressure over time

Some People Notice Something Is "Off" Even Earlier

Beyond classic TIA symptoms, some research suggests the body can send subtler cues even further in advance. A controlled study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain found that a distinctive new or unusually severe headache in the week before a stroke — researchers call it a "sentinel headache" — occurred in roughly 15% of stroke patients studied, compared with a much smaller share of people who didn't go on to have a stroke. (Lebedeva et al., The Journal of Headache and Pain, 2020)

Doctors who work in stroke prevention often describe similar patterns anecdotally: patients who, in hindsight, recall unexplained tiredness, brief episodes of numbness, or a few days of unusual clumsiness in the run-up to a bigger event — symptoms that felt minor enough at the time to explain away. This is exactly why any new or unusual neurological symptom, however brief, is worth mentioning to a doctor rather than waiting to see if it happens again.

Everyday Habits That May Help Support a Healthier Vascular System

The encouraging part is that many stroke risk factors are, at least partly, within our influence. None of the following replace medical care or medication your doctor has prescribed, but they're widely recommended as part of a heart- and brain-healthy lifestyle:

• Regular movement: The World Health Organization recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity — such as brisk walking — per week as part of general cardiovascular health.


• A Mediterranean-style eating pattern: In the landmark Spanish PREDIMED trial, people at high cardiovascular risk who followed a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, vegetables, nuts, and fish saw a meaningfully lower rate of major cardiovascular events, including stroke, compared with a low-fat control diet. (Hospital Cl{-15443}nic de Barcelona, on the PREDIMED study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine)


• Garlic, in moderation: Some clinical research suggests regular garlic intake may modestly help blood pressure in people with hypertension, though it should be seen as a complement to — never a replacement for — prescribed treatment. (Cleveland Clinic: Does Garlic Lower Blood Pressure?)


• Watching sodium intake: Health authorities including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have long linked excess sodium intake to higher blood pressure, one of the biggest drivers of stroke risk, and recommend most adults keep sodium intake well under the typical amount consumed in a Western diet.


• Prioritizing sleep: Research funded by the American Heart Association has associated regularly sleeping fewer than six hours a night with a meaningfully higher cardiovascular risk, particularly in people who already have high blood pressure, diabetes, or existing heart disease. (American Heart Association research, via ScienceDaily)

How to Recognize a Stroke in the Moment: Remember F.A.S.T.

Health organizations around the world teach a simple checklist to help bystanders recognize a stroke quickly, as taught by the American Stroke Association:

• F — Face drooping: Ask the person to smile. Does one side droop?


• A — Arm weakness: Ask them to raise both arms. Does one drift downward?


• S — Speech difficulty: Is their speech slurred or strange? Can they repeat a simple sentence?


• T — Time to call emergency services: If you notice any of these signs, call for emergency help immediately — even if the symptoms have already faded.

Because stroke treatment is highly time-sensitive, emergency medicine specialists often summarize the urgency with a simple phrase: time lost is brain function lost. Acting within minutes, rather than waiting to "see if it passes," is one of the biggest factors doctors point to in improving outcomes.

One pattern doctors describe often: someone notices a strange, brief episode — an arm that goes numb for a few minutes, a word that comes out garbled — feels fine again shortly after, and decides it isn't worth a hospital visit. Weeks later, they experience a much more serious event. It's a scenario stroke specialists say they see again and again, and it's the exact reason organizations like the American Stroke Association keep repeating the same message: don't wait for symptoms to return before getting checked.

Listen to What Your Body Is Telling You

A stroke rarely comes completely without warning — the body often tries to flag trouble beforehand, sometimes for months, sometimes for just a few minutes. Recognizing those five signs, understanding what a TIA really means, and knowing the F.A.S.T. checklist can make a genuine difference in how quickly someone gets help.

None of this replaces a conversation with your doctor. But small, manageable steps — walking regularly, eating a more Mediterranean-style diet, moderating salt, protecting your sleep — are consistently linked with better cardiovascular health in the research above, and they cost very little to start.

Your health is, in large part, in your own hands. Pay attention to what your body is telling you, and don't hesitate to act on it.