How To Prevent Stroke?

There are different ways to prevent a stroke depending on the type of stroke you are trying to prevent.

There are some things you can do that prevent a certain type of stroke but that has the potential to worsen another type of stroke.

The following are some things you can do to prevent a stroke:

Maintain a normal blood pressure 

This holds true for all kinds of stroke. If your blood pressure is too high, it contributes to arterial spasm and increases the risk of thrombotic stroke.

If the blood pressure is too high, it can push the blood clot in the heart from the heart valve into the circulatory system of the brain, resulting in an embolic stroke.

In a completely different way, high blood pressure can cause hemorrhagic strokes. 

If there is a weakness in the walls of any part of the brain’s circulatory system, high blood pressure can cause that weak area to open up, resulting in the kind of bleeding you see in a hemorrhagic stroke.

According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure is the number one controllable risk factor for stroke.

Family history and obesity factor in developing high blood pressure and women who take birth control pills or have reached menopause are at higher risk.

A healthy lifestyle helps but for many, medications are required.

Maintain normal cholesterol

Cholesterol is what makes up part of the plaques that contribute to getting a thrombotic stroke.

If you maintain a good level of cholesterol, the plaques don’t build up so much and the chance that a blood clot can form in the arteries is much less.

You can keep a good cholesterol level by eating food that is low in cholesterol or by taking medications designed to lower the cholesterol level.

High levels of "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol raise the risk of heart disease and stroke; high levels of "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol lower it.

Studies show women's cholesterol is higher than men's from age 45 on and that low levels of HDL cholesterol seem to be a stronger risk factor for women.

Stop smoking

Smoking has the potential to raise your blood pressure, increasing the risk of all kinds of strokes.

Smoking also contributes to plaque formation in the walls of the blood vessels so that the risk of thrombotic stroke increases.

The longer you smoke, the greater is the risk of developing all kinds of heart disease, including that of thrombotic stroke.

Take a baby aspirin

Baby aspirin is a commonly used medication used to prevent the recurrence of a heart attack in a patient who has already had a heart attack.

Aspirin is a platelet inhibitor, which means that it blocks platelets from sticking together and forming a blood clot. This same phenomenon can work in the prevention of both thrombotic strokes and embolic strokes.

If the platelets cannot form a blood clot, it will prevent a blood clot from forming on a heart valve so that it can’t travel to an area of the brain, leading to an embolic stroke.

In the same way, when platelets are blocked from forming a clot inside a narrowed area of the blood vessels leading to the brain, this thwarts the onset of a thrombotic stroke.

Diet and Exercise

Thirty minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can help prevent heart and blood vessel disease and control blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, as well as lower blood pressure.

People with excess body fat, especially around the waist are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke. Eat healthy foods low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

Diabetes

Diabetes is associated with high blood pressure and interferes with the ability to break down clots, increasing the risk of ischemic stroke. Lifestyle modifications and medications can help.

Living a healthy lifestyle so that the blood pressure is reduced, smoking is not a problem, and cholesterol is kept within normal levels will go a long way toward reducing the incidence of all kinds of strokes.

If you are concerned about stroke, or any type of heart disease it is a great idea to see your doctor and get a full physical and relevant screenings to be sure that there is not more that you can do to ensure you remain in optimal health.

Your friends and family will suggest that you go see a doctor so that you can avoid the horrors of a stroke. You will want to get annual physicals and regular checkups to see if you are at risk for a stroke or heart disease.

With the high cholesterol, you will be at risk for a stroke and you will need to be kept under strict control to help prevent this disease from taking effects on you.

Other risk factors include family history, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity, heavy alcohol consumption, and being overweight.

Talk to your doctor. Find out your risks and take action.

For more information check it here: How To Reduce The Dangers Of Stroke?