1. Understand that the Heart Is Directly Related to Stroke Risk
A stroke is also known as a "cerebrovascular accident" (CVA) or a "brain attack." Both describe the condition fairly well in that the brain has an unexpected blockage in a blood vessel or a hemorrhage, both of which result in damage to the brain tissue. Because a stroke is related to the blood vessels, the heart, which directly supplies that blood, is closely related to a stroke. For this reason, having a sick heart, such as that which occurs in patients with cardiac disease, is a direct risk factor for stroke.
2. Get a Handle on Your Blood Pressure
Due to the vascular nature of a stroke, the pressure of the blood moving through your vascular system has a direct effect on stroke risk. When your blood pressure is high, your blood vessels are at a higher risk for a blockage or a hemorrhage. Keep your blood pressure in the range of 120/80, preferably, or at a level that your doctor is happy with, and you'll be doing your brain a favor by greatly lowering your stroke risk.
Your doctor may prescribe medications to lower your blood pressure, but regular exercise and a better diet can also help greatly. Regular exercise is optimally 20 minutes or more per day of cardiovascular (heart-rate-increasing) exercise such as brisk walking. Those with busy schedules may prefer to do 30- to 45-minute workouts of running, swimming, biking or hiking three times per week instead. A better diet for most people means avoiding processed foods such as cookies, chips and fried items. It also means avoiding the excessive sugar found in soda pop and any "high fructose corn syrup" product. Think about replacing snacks of cookies with fruit-filled muffins, or substituting a handful of chips with a handful of "good cholesterol"-filled nuts, for instance.
3. Address Diabetes Proactively
If you've been diagnosed as being pre-diabetic or diabetic, it's important to understand just how critical it is to keep a tight control on your blood sugar. Diabetes affects so many parts of your body negatively, including your blood vessels, and damage to your blood vessels will always create an increased risk for stroke. Follow your diabetes protocol closely every day. For most diabetics, this means not only checking your blood glucose level, but also following the exercise and dietary guidelines mentioned above.
4. Stop Smoking
Smoking adversely affects many parts of the body, not just the lungs. The good news, however, is that by stopping smoking, you can actually reverse most of the stroke risk you have today. Usually within 10 years of quitting day, the stroke-related effects of smoking can be nearly extinguished for most people.
