With the advent of streaming services like Netflix and websites with free video content like YouTube, there is an infinite stream of entertainment for consumers with a phone or computer.
This can lead to couch potatoing, a cute-sounding but potentially detrimental lifestyle where you spend hours or even days on your bed or sofa binging shows without exercising or even leaving the house.
But- but I do this all the time and I’m fine. How could it be dangerous?
Well, that’s what I thought too, dear reader, until I heard about this unfortunate 19-year-old in China.
19YO Gets Stroke After Laying In Bed Watching Shows Daily & Not Exercising
A man from Jiangsu Province, China was recently diagnosed with cerebral infarction (or a stroke) – a condition where the arteries supplying blood and oxygen to the brain become narrow or blocked.
According to Oriental Daily, this occurred after he started slurring his speech and feeling weakness in his right limbs.
During an operation that the man had to undergo, doctors discovered that he had atherosclerosis – a disease where plaque, made up of fat cholesterol and calcium, builds up inside the arteries.
Atherosclerosis is a condition that usually affects people over the age of 50, so doctors were puzzled as to how this man got the disease.
Unhealthy lifestyle
It turns out that his unhealthy lifestyle was to blame.
One of the leading causes of atherosclerosis is smoking, a habit that the man admitted to. But he also revealed that he never exercised and spent most days lying on his bed watching dramas after eating every day.
As a result of his sedentary lifestyle, the man was obese, weighing over 100 kg. According to the doctors, laying on his side for long periods of time had caused the weakness in his limbs before he was diagnosed with the stroke.
It is unclear how the man, Xiao Chen, is doing after the operation, but we wish him well and hope he recovers soon.
Warning signs
Many people don’t even realize they’re having a stroke, so it’s up to those around them to identify the signs and symptoms:
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, acting F.A.S.T is the key when it comes to strokes.
If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do the following simple test:
F—Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A—Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S—Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
T—Time: If you see any of these signs, call 995 right away.
One of Xiao Chen’s doctors echoed this point, saying, “Time is very important for stroke treatment, because every minute after you have a stroke, 1.9 million neurons die,” said Dr. Physician, Deputy Director of Interventional Radiology at Jiangsu People’s Hospital.
It might be time to ditch Netflix for a bit, especially if you find yourself overdoing it. Get out there and exercise. Give your body the care it deserves.
