Blowing your nose over coffee increases the risk of stroke

Drinking coffee, having sex, getting angry and even blowing your nose can greatly increase the risk of a fatal stroke, Dutch scientists have warned.

Daily activities such as going to the bathroom, drinking a can of coke or jumping seem harmless, but surprisingly, they all cause a sudden rise in blood pressure and subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of stroke that kills more than half of the patients. About 8000 people in the UK suffer from subarachnoid hemorrhage each year, which is more common among middle-aged people, especially women. The study, conducted by Dutch scientists, identified eight daily activities and physical functions that may suddenly lead to a rise in blood pressure and increase the risk of stroke. The blood vessels in the epidermis of the brain suddenly burst, causing damage to brain tissue, which can cause a stroke. Between 10% and 15% of victims die before being taken to hospital, and about 50% die within a month of stroke.

Experts at the University of Utrecht Medical Center in the Netherlands studied patients with this type of stroke. Ask them if they had drunk Coke, exercised or blew their nose an hour before the illness, or if they were surprised or angry. In addition, they asked patients whether they often did the same thing at the same time, or only occasionally. In this way, scientists can determine how much each activity increases the risk of stroke. The findings are published in Stroke, a journal of the American Heart Association.