10 Strategies to Reverse Your Stroke Risk
Do you think you can’t change or control your chances of having a stroke? Think again. If you are at high risk of stroke, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are locked into a fate of having a stroke. In fact, the most common stroke risk factors are reversible, and you can virtually blot out your predisposition to having a stroke by adopting a few simple lifestyle habits or with a little help from modern medical management.
In the past, people were labeled as ‘unhealthy’ or ‘high stroke risk.’ But those labels don’t have to define you anymore. Scientific evidence clearly shows that if you are susceptible to stroke, you can literally rewind the damage incurred by years of bad health and harmful habits by using these important strategies.
1. Repair Vascular Disease
Slowly progressive disease of the blood vessels in the brain, the neck or the heart is the root cause of most strokes. How would you know if you have vascular disease? Most people don’t. However, your blood vessels can actually heal and repair if you take the necessary steps to help them recover. Those steps are covered throughout the rest of this list.
Slowly progressive disease of the blood vessels in the brain, the neck or the heart is the root cause of most strokes. How would you know if you have vascular disease? Most people don’t. However, your blood vessels can actually heal and repair if you take the necessary steps to help them recover. Those steps are covered throughout the rest of this list.
2. Control Your Diabetes
Improved diabetes management is one of the most amazing feats of modern medicine. Your primary care physician can determine whether you have diabetes during a routine check up.
Improved diabetes management is one of the most amazing feats of modern medicine. Your primary care physician can determine whether you have diabetes during a routine check up.
What if you have diabetes?
People living with diabetes run marathons, fly planes and climb mountains. Poorly controlled diabetes, however, leads to a lifetime of disease and disability and is one of the leading risk factors of stroke
3. Maintain a Healthy Blood Pressure
Too many people do not even know that they have hypertension.
Too many people do not even know that they have hypertension.
Don’t be one of those people. Get your blood pressure checked, and, if it is high, adapt your diet and take the medication prescribed by your doctor to get your blood pressure to a normal range. Hypertension is a controllable medical condition. But, uncontrolled hypertension damages the inner lining of blood vessels and restricts their elasticity, making them prone to stroke-causing blood clots.
4. Get Medical Attention for Your Heart Disease
If you have an irregular heartbeat or if you have heart weakness, valve disease or cardiovascular disease, you need to take the steps to get care for your heart condition. You most likely would not know if you have any of these heart problems unless you get a physical. Most people who are living with undiagnosed heart disease only notice mild shortness of breath or fatigue and some people with heart disease don’t notice any symptoms until it is almost too late to take care of things. Treat yourself to a yearly physical so your doctor can catch problems such as heart disease while it is still early.
If you have an irregular heartbeat or if you have heart weakness, valve disease or cardiovascular disease, you need to take the steps to get care for your heart condition. You most likely would not know if you have any of these heart problems unless you get a physical. Most people who are living with undiagnosed heart disease only notice mild shortness of breath or fatigue and some people with heart disease don’t notice any symptoms until it is almost too late to take care of things. Treat yourself to a yearly physical so your doctor can catch problems such as heart disease while it is still early.
5. Discontinue Drugs
Drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine are intensely addictive and notoriously difficult to stop. However, the use of these potent drugs of abuse can cause a sudden stroke, even if you have already used these drugs without getting sick.
Drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine are intensely addictive and notoriously difficult to stop. However, the use of these potent drugs of abuse can cause a sudden stroke, even if you have already used these drugs without getting sick.
Because a stroke is life threatening and potentially severely disabling, the arduous process of detox and rehab is well worth it.
6. Stop Smoking
No smoker wants to hear this. But the good news is that if you stop smoking, the damaging effects of smoking actually reverse. The longer you wait until you stop smoking, the longer it takes to repair the harmful toll smoking takes on your body. Your blood vessels need to heal after years of injury from smoking. The healing takes time and it can’t start until you stop exposing your body to the harmful toxins of cigarette smoke.
No smoker wants to hear this. But the good news is that if you stop smoking, the damaging effects of smoking actually reverse. The longer you wait until you stop smoking, the longer it takes to repair the harmful toll smoking takes on your body. Your blood vessels need to heal after years of injury from smoking. The healing takes time and it can’t start until you stop exposing your body to the harmful toxins of cigarette smoke.
7. Get Your Blood Triglyceride and Cholesterol Levels to Normal
High blood cholesterol and fat such as triglycerides come form 2 sources- through your diet and your body’s own production of fats and cholesterol.
High blood cholesterol and fat such as triglycerides come form 2 sources- through your diet and your body’s own production of fats and cholesterol.
Changing your diet is enough to lower those levels for some people, while medication may be necessary for other individuals. Find out if your levels are high and take action to get them to normal. Decreasing your blood levels of cholesterol and fat is an achievable goal that cuts your stroke risk.
8. Adopt a Stroke Prevention Diet
It is not completely understood why processed foods can lead to a stroke. But it is known that consuming fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, protein and fiber can reduce your risk of stroke.
It is not completely understood why processed foods can lead to a stroke. But it is known that consuming fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, protein and fiber can reduce your risk of stroke.
Swapping out fresh foods for packaged junk food is a challenge. Junk food is convenient, doesn’t spoil easily and provides quick satisfaction. So, the only way to switch over to more fresh food is to do so deliberately. Adjust your shopping and your daily habits with these strategies for healthier eating.
9. Get Physically Active
If you aren’t one of those people who is always motivated to strive for more and more challenging exercise, you aren’t alone! Overall, people are leading a more sedentary lifestyle than ever before. After all, you can do practically anything without even getting up from your computer or phone. Getting up and getting moving doesn’t have to be hard. Start with some of these simple ways to get started building up a healthy level of physical activity.
If you aren’t one of those people who is always motivated to strive for more and more challenging exercise, you aren’t alone! Overall, people are leading a more sedentary lifestyle than ever before. After all, you can do practically anything without even getting up from your computer or phone. Getting up and getting moving doesn’t have to be hard. Start with some of these simple ways to get started building up a healthy level of physical activity.
10. Manage Your Stress Level
Stress due to your day-to-day life increases your risk of stroke. Reducing stress requires taking action to reduce the cause of stress- a terrible job or a bad relationship. But sometimes, due to the complicated circumstances of life, you may need to work on altering your response to stress if you are in unchangeable situation.
Stress due to your day-to-day life increases your risk of stroke. Reducing stress requires taking action to reduce the cause of stress- a terrible job or a bad relationship. But sometimes, due to the complicated circumstances of life, you may need to work on altering your response to stress if you are in unchangeable situation.
Severe stress, the kind that causes PTSD, also increases the chances of having a stroke. No one can change the past, but you can work on preventing your future from being defined by your past.
Stroke risk factors, whether due to inherited physical factors or to harmful lifestyle habits, can be changed to substantially decrease your risk of stroke, which can increase your life by an expected 12 1/2 years.
Source: Verywell
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