Stroke can occur at any age for reasons that most often act together. Preventive measures together with a routine examination with a doctor help to prevent this event. First of all, they should include lifestyle adjustments and constant monitoring of blood pressure (upper and lower pressure).
People aged 20–35 often believe that stroke is an “age-related” disease that happens to people over 45 but won’t happen to them. However, according to statistics, young people are also susceptible to stroke. Stroke develops in young women and men due to decreased immunity, stress, and strong emotional and physical exertion.
Stroke is dangerous at any age, it leads to full or partial loss of the ability to work, problems with speech, hearing and eyesight, as well as to damage of brain activity. Rehabilitation can last from three weeks to a year or more in people who have suffered a stroke. However, most of them can not completely restore their health, despite the use of modern methods of rehabilitation. A stroke affects not only the immediate victim but also the people around them.
Who is at risk of stroke?
Doctors identify the main groups of people being in the so-called “stroke” risk zone and who especially need to follow the rules of prevention. First of all, these are hypertensive patients, which have pressure exceeded a mark in 140/90 mm. After all, in 80% of cases, namely arterial hypertension (pressure increase) causes bleeding in the brain.
Those diagnosed with ischemic heart disease, angina and obesity also need to take care of themselves. Constant blockage of the arteries leads to the appearance of atherosclerosis as well as stroke. The risk of developing these diseases is increased by:
- bad habits (smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol);
- genetic (in particular, cardiac arrest) and endocrine diseases (for example, diabetes mellitus).
The more a person who has discovered a predisposition to stroke observes preventive measures, the lower the risk of pathology.
The relationship between stroke and blood pressure
People who are prone to stroke should take a daily blood pressure reading. Therapists are advised to purchase a home-use tonometer and take measurements at the same time. The received data are better to record in a diary. This helps over time to take action for those who have severe pressure spikes when their health worsens.
If there are no other signs of poor health (headaches, sleep disturbance, fatigue, nausea) periodic pressure measurements with a tonometer will help detect a critical pressure of more than 140/90 mm. In this case, you need to see a doctor immediately.
Diet & Stroke prevention
Diet is inextricably linked with proper nutrition and a healthy diet. The less a person consumes of salty and spicy foods, smoked foods and heavy food, the better their immune system will be.
Scientists have established a direct relationship between diet and stroke prevention measures: the more often people with a predisposition adhere to a healthy diet, the lower the risk of stroke (especially in elderly people). Therapists and nutritionists consider the DASH diet as the most effective diet in the fight against stroke
Such nutrition is based on a decrease in the amount of consumption of:
- salt (allowed to eat no more than 5 grams of salt in 24 hours);
- fats of vegetable and animal origin (not more than 20–25g per day allowed).
Diet also provides limited use of pastries, eggs, sausages and other meat. On average, the caloric content of foods should be reduced by 15–20%.
Activity & Stroke prevention
Hypodynamia develops in practically all hypertensive patients who have a sedentary lifestyle. To prevent the development of a stroke it is necessary to do moderate physical activity (exercises, running or swimming).
When choosing a particular sport, it is important to consult with a doctor. Depending on the indications of blood pressure and the patient’s medical history, it is important to select the safest sport.
Heavy weightlifting is inadvisable as it adversely affects the body and contributes to high blood pressure.
Bad habits & Stroke prevention
A risk of stroke is 2 times higher in those who smoke than non-smokers. Smoking is especially dangerous for people of advanced age. Nicotine addiction can provoke a hypertensive crisis. Those who decide to quit smoking should seek help from a doctor.
Alcohol also threatens our health, despite the fact that, to some extent, it prevents blood clots. Spirits in all cases contribute to increased blood pressure, and their consumption should be abandoned or reduced.
Medicines & Stroke prevention
It is sometimes extremely difficult to reduce pressure. This can happen for various reasons (for example, due to the exacerbation of certain chronic diseases). A doctor can prescribe medicine to keep the pressure normal but be sure they do not cause drowsiness or fatigue, especially for those who drive a car.
Usually, medications are prescribed at the initial and middle stages of the disease, causing vasodilation (calcium channel blockers). Thus, the pressure is stabilized and comes back to normal.
Technological stroke prevention
Modern mobile applications can help alert you about a possible stroke by applying innovative methods of data analysis (biometric markers) and preliminary diagnosis of possible heart disorders, as well as monitor vital health indicators. With their help you can check your daily heart health, your body endurance, emotional stability and other indicators.
For example, you can do an electrocardiogram by yourself in a few minutes using the application Goodsomnia Lab (which works together with one of the devices Goodsomnia Pocket ECG or Goodsomnia HeartBeat ECG). The “smart” algorithm will build a graph and display the health trends of the heart, calculate the psychoemotional state, a level of endurance, a bio-age of the heart and many other things, but most importantly the application will show you whether there is an imminent risk of heart attack. This kind of application really helps to protect people from dangerous diseases.
Strokes can be avoided if you keep these simple rules, taking into account the observance of all medical recommendations.
Be healthy!
