Stronger After Stroke · Norton Neuroscience Comprehensive Stroke Center and Resource Center

Women and Stroke: Recovery, Prevention and Health Equity

·29 min

Rosa Hart opens the episode by bringing Dr. Tamika Burris into part two of the show’s women-in-stroke series. They begin with the question many listeners would ask first: whether women respond differently to treatments such as tPA or thrombectomy, and Burris says they do not, even if access to those therapies has not always been the same. That difference matters. The discussion stays practical, turning a technical point into plain language for survivors and families who may need to ask better questions or advocate for treatment. Sleep gets a long look. Burris explains that the glymphatic system works while you sleep to clear toxins, and that poor sleep can contribute to small vessel disease, which can narrow or damage the brain’s small arteries and lead to either bleeding or non-bleeding stroke. She is clear about prevention: seven to nine hours of sleep a day is the target, not a slogan. Alcohol comes next. Burris pushes back on the way drinking is normalized, especially through marketing and social events that center wine or other drinks. Her point is blunt. Alcohol can raise triglycerides, alter blood flow, and increase stress hormones, all of which can contribute to stroke risk. She also notes that women from their 40s through retirement age have been drinking more, especially during COVID, and the episode closes with a brief nod to mocktail options and Gen Z’s different habits. The overall shape is service-minded: ask better questions, protect sleep, be honest about drinking, and understand how access to care affects stroke treatment.

As heard by us

A plain-spoken look at women in stroke, treatment access, and practical prevention advice.

This episode stays focused on women in stroke, with Rosa Hart and Dr. Tamika Burris shaping the conversation around treatment, access, and prevention.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want straight talk on women in stroke, with a vascular neurologist and no fluff.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify