Stroke Warning Signs: How to Recognise a Stroke and Act Immediately

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A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted, and the warning signs usually appear all at once: a face that droops on one side, an arm that cannot be held up, and speech that is slurred or confused. These three checks make up FAST, the test used by the NHS and by other health services. If even one of them is present, a stroke is possible, and it is an emergency. In India, call 108 immediately or go to the nearest hospital with an emergency department. Do not wait to see whether the symptoms settle, and do not arrange a home visit instead — a suspected stroke needs a hospital, a scan and a doctor, within minutes. This page explains what to look for and what to do. It cannot tell you whether a particular person is having a stroke.

The FAST Check: Face, Arms, Speech, Time

FAST stands for face, arms, speech and time to call for help.

• Face — one side of the face may droop or fall, and it may be hard to smile. Ask the person to smile, and watch whether both sides of the face move together.
• Arms — the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them up, because of weakness or numbness in one arm. Ask them to raise both arms and hold.
• Speech — speech may be slurred, or the person may sound confused or be unable to find the right words. Ask them to repeat one simple sentence.
• Time — if any of these signs are there, it is time to call for emergency help immediately.

Look at a clock and write down the time you first noticed the symptoms. The CDC advises noting the time when symptoms first appear, because that information helps the treating team decide the best treatment.

BE-FAST: Two Signs That Are Easy to Miss

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a longer version, BE-FAST, which places two extra checks in front of the familiar three.

• B is for balance — ask the person whether they feel off-balance or dizzy.
• E is for eyes — ask whether they are having trouble seeing normally.

Both versions end the same way, with time to call for help. BE-FAST exists because a stroke does not always announce itself with a drooping face. It can begin with a sudden loss of balance or a sudden change in vision, and those signs are easily blamed on tiredness, weakness or spectacles that need changing.

Other Sudden Symptoms of a Stroke

The CDC lists these sudden symptoms of stroke:

• 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
• sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or lack of coordination
• sudden severe headache with no known cause

The NHS also lists blurred or lost vision in one or both eyes, confusion and memory loss, dizziness or falling, a severe headache, and feeling sick or vomiting.

The word that matters in every one of these is sudden. Symptoms that appear over seconds or minutes, in a person who was fine a short while earlier, are the pattern to act on.

Why Minutes Matter

Stroke treatment is decided by the clock as much as by the symptoms. The CDC states that a person who reaches hospital within 3 hours of the first symptoms of an ischaemic stroke may be given a clot-dissolving medicine to break up the blockage. Which treatment is possible, and whether it is safe for a particular person, can only be decided by the treating doctor after examination and a brain scan.

The CDC also notes that people brought in by ambulance may be diagnosed and treated more quickly than those who arrive another way, because emergency care can begin on the journey. The NHS advises that a person with stroke symptoms should not drive themselves.

What To Do — and What Not To Do

Do this:

• Call 108, or arrange the fastest safe transport to the nearest hospital with an emergency department.
• Note the exact time the symptoms began, and tell the hospital team.
• Stay with the person. Keep them still and comfortable, and speak calmly.
• Carry identity documents, past medical records and a written list of the medicines they currently take — but do not delay leaving in order to find them.

Do not do this:

• Do not wait to see whether the symptoms pass.
• Do not give food, water or any medicine on your own. Swallowing can be affected after a stroke, and only a doctor can decide what is safe.
• Do not let the person drive.
• Do not book a home nurse, a doctor visit or a physiotherapist instead of going to hospital.

If the Symptoms Stop, It Is Still an Emergency

Sometimes stroke symptoms fade after a few minutes and the person seems completely normal again. That is not reassurance. The NHS describes a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), or mini stroke, as a temporary disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain, with effects that last from a few minutes to a few hours and settle fully within 24 hours.

The NHS advises calling for an ambulance immediately for symptoms of a TIA or a stroke, and says hospital assessment is still needed even if the symptoms disappear before help arrives. The NHS describes a TIA as a warning sign that a person may be at risk of having a full stroke in the near future. It gives the same advice to anyone who has had signs of a stroke within the last 24 hours, even if those signs have now stopped.

After the Hospital: What Recovery Involves

What happens next is decided in hospital. Some people are discharged within days, others need a longer stay, and the plan depends entirely on what the scans and the treating team find. Nobody can promise a particular level of recovery, and any service that does should be treated with caution.

Once the hospital says the person is ready to be at home, the work usually shifts to carrying out the doctor’s plan day after day: safe transfers, positioning, exercises set by a physiotherapist, speech and swallowing precautions, skin care and medicine timings. Families often arrange stroke rehabilitation at home or continuing post-stroke care at home for this stage.

Confusion or memory difficulty that appears suddenly is not the same as the slow, gradual change described in our guide to dementia warning signs. Anything sudden needs urgent medical review rather than a wait-and-watch approach.

What This Guide Can and Cannot Tell You

This page describes warning signs. It cannot tell you whether a particular person is having a stroke, and it is not a substitute for emergency assessment. The treating doctor interprets the symptoms, the examination and the scans, and decides what is happening and what to do about it.

If blood tests are done in hospital or during follow-up, remember that reference ranges vary by laboratory, method, age, sex, pregnancy and clinical context. Read the range printed on your own report beside your own result, and ask the treating doctor what it means for the person in front of you.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

NHS - Stroke: Symptoms · CDC - Signs and Symptoms of Stroke · CDC - Treatment of Stroke · NHS - Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) · NHS - Sudden confusion (delirium)

Last checked 2 September 2026. How we write and check these pages: editorial policy.