Good afternoon. Just a quick reminder that we've got an online catch up at 6pm. You can join through the calendar section in the app. Hope to see you there!

Hi, a couple of years after my stroke a friend told me to gargle. He seemed to know what he was talking about and I now gargle with mouthwash every day. Apart from improved dental hygiene I wonder if it has done any good? My thought is it can’t have done any harm and I am training the muscles in my throat?

Chronic stress is a major cause of stroke and is one of the 10 factors identified by the INTERSTROKE study that cause 90% of strokes. However, most people have no way to catch rising stress. We usually spot it when it's too late. So today's tip: Once a day ask yourself: “Am I reacting more than I’m responding?” If yes → use 30 seconds of slow breathing or a short walk. It’s a simple cue that interrupts stress-driven cortisol surges. Then use the headspace you've bought to do something constructive that will meaningfully reduce your stress going forward. Tackle the underlying cause of your stress.

Hi everyone. I count that we've done 43 stroke prevention tips, pretty much every order day. We're going to pause the tips temporarily for a few weeks until the new year. Partly to free up time for Christmas and partly because I'm struggling to come up with more ideas! However, I will use that time to write some more stuff in the classroom section. We'll also still have our prevention catch up (next one on Sunday) and I hope we'll keep up our chats in the group too.

Morning all I’m really struggling at the moment controlling my Hbac1. I’ve always found it a challenge but I’ve managed to keep it pretty low. Now it’s consistently high. Especially after lunch. Any tips?