{"id":205183,"date":"2018-07-07T21:30:35","date_gmt":"2018-07-07T21:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/5f17670acf5743285.temporary.link\/rohsi.org\/?p=205183"},"modified":"2018-07-07T21:30:35","modified_gmt":"2018-07-07T21:30:35","slug":"10-ways-to-reduce-your-risk-of-having-a-stroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rohsi.org\/?p=205183","title":{"rendered":"10 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF HAVING A STROKE"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Mark Stibich, Ph.D.<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reviewed by\u00a0Richard N. Fogoros, MD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Controlling blood pressure and losing weight can make a difference.<\/p>\n

Lancet<\/em>\u00a0called INTERSTROKE confirmed that people can reduce their risk of having a stroke by making lifestyle changes. The study found that modifiable risk factors are responsible for 88 percent of stroke risk. The excellent news here is the “modifiable” part of the equation \u2014 most of these factors can be completely avoided, or at least modified.<\/p>\n

That’s great, you say until you look at the list. Most of us know that stopping smoking and losing weight are no-brainers for improving your health, and many of us would have done these things years ago if we knew how to go about it strategically. Learning how important lifestyle changes are for reducing stroke\u00a0risk can be motivational.<\/p>\n

Major health improvements can be made if the goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based, also known as S.M.A.R.T. goals for lifestyle change.<\/p>\n

Here are the top 10 ways to cut your risk of stroke by almost 90 percent:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Control Your Blood Pressure<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While there are medications to control hypertension (high blood pressure), lifestyle change is a key component of keeping blood pressure down. Following\u00a0the DASH Diet\u00a0and\u00a0avoiding salt<\/a>\u00a0can help.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Stop Smoking<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Smoking not only increases the risk of stroke, it is estimated to subtract 10 years from one’s lifespan.<\/p>\n

      Getting tips, strategies, stories, and encouragement from people who have successfully quit smoking can be inspirational. And if that doesn’t help, consider\u00a0how smoking results in premature aging<\/a>.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Lose Weight, Especially Around Your Abdomen<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        You might be surprised at how easy it is to incorporate easy weight loss methods into your life.<\/p>\n

        Not only can you find yourself dropping pounds, but by slowing down and being more mindful of your food, you may also find yourself enjoying meals much more.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Manage Your Diabetes<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          People with diabetes are at a\u00a0higher risk of stroke<\/a>\u00a0than the general population. This risk is much higher when the diabetes is poorly-managed and blood glucose levels are elevated over long periods. It is important to take your diabetes seriously (even if you don’t feel “bad” from high blood sugar), which involves sticking to your treatment strategies, among other things. This will not only go a long way in reducing your risk of stroke but also will help bring down the likelihood of other complications.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Get Active<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            We know we should be exercising, but many of us simply don’t like it and when you don’t like to do something, it is very easy to find lots of excuses not to do it. Instead of starting from a place of trying to do something you simply hate to do, why don’t you wipe the slate clean and look at exercise from a new perspective? Learn to like, even love, exercise,\u00a0and it will be much easier to commit to an exercise habit.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Improve Your Diet<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              There are many opinions about what exactly constitutes a healthy diet, which often leaves the average person confused to the point that they give up.<\/p>\n

              However, there are some things that are pretty universal here \u2014 more vegetables, less trans fats, fewer trips through fast food restaurants.\u00a0 Add fruit to increase your longevity\u00a0and adopt an overall\u00a0longevity diet plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Limit Alcohol, Avoid Binge Drinking<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Clearly,\u00a0drinking heavily<\/a>\u00a0is bad for your health, but much research shows that two or fewer drinks per day can be good for you, especially\u00a0red wine<\/a>. Any more than that starts working against you and harming your health. Heavy drinking also\u00a0increases stroke risk by 45 percent\u00a0and there is a link between\u00a0alcohol and brain aging<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Improve Your Good Cholesterol<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  The idea here is to improve your HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL (bad\u00a0cholesterol<\/a>) ratio more HDL and less LDL is the idea.<\/p>\n

                  The goal is to have your HDL\/LDL ratio above 0.3, with the ideal being above 0.4. Of course, there are medications, such as statins, that can help you do this, but there are some lifestyle changes to be made as well, even fun ones, such as eating more dark chocolate\u00a0or fish.<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Manage Heart Disease<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    As we age, our hearts have to adapt to our changing bodies our arteries lose flexibility, our heart walls thicken and it becomes harder for our hearts to keep up with increased demand. All of these things (and others) are made worse when we have\u00a0heart disease<\/a>, such as coronary artery disease, angina or other problems that can lead to heart attacks. There are several approaches to managing heart disease, which involves medications, diet, and exercise many of the same things that will also reduce the risk of stroke.<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. Avoid Stress, Treat Depression<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      We know that we feel worse when we are “stressed,” but there is also significant evidence that stress impacts the frequency of negative health events, like a stroke. Depression\u00a0also has serious physical consequences and can lead to victims neglecting their health.<\/p>\n

                      Bottom Line<\/strong><\/p>\n

                      By taking steps to improve in these areas, you will no doubt feel better along the way. In addition to reducing your risk for stroke, you will also reduce your risk of heart attacks.<\/p>\n

                      \u00a0Sources\u00a0:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

                      O’Donnell MJ, Xavier D, Liu L, et al. Risk factors for ischaemic and intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke in 22 countries (the INTERSTROKE study): a case-control study.\u00a0The Lancet<\/em>, Early Online Publication, 18 June 2010<\/p>\n

                       <\/p>\n

                       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      By\u00a0Mark Stibich, Ph.D.\u00a0|\u00a0Reviewed by\u00a0Richard N. Fogoros, MD Controlling blood pressure and losing weight can make a difference. Lancet\u00a0called INTERSTROKE confirmed that people can reduce their risk of having a stroke by making lifestyle changes. The study found that modifiable risk factors are responsible for 88 percent of stroke risk. The excellent news here is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-205183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-tips"],"yoast_head":"\n10 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF HAVING A STROKE - Rays of Hope Support Initiative<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rohsi.org\/?p=205183\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF HAVING A STROKE - Rays of Hope Support Initiative\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By\u00a0Mark Stibich, Ph.D.\u00a0|\u00a0Reviewed by\u00a0Richard N. Fogoros, MD Controlling blood pressure and losing weight can make a difference. Lancet\u00a0called INTERSTROKE confirmed that people can reduce their risk of having a stroke by making lifestyle changes. The study found that modifiable risk factors are responsible for 88 percent of stroke risk. 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