Actions You Can Take to Prevent and Reduce the Risk of Stroke

According to the National Stroke Association approximately 80% of the over 790,000 strokes each year in the United States are preventable. Over the past 10 years, a number of organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Stoke Association have come forth with guidelines for stroke prevention. These guidelines are a combination of lifestyle recommendations and medical care approaches.

For all adults, there are 5 lifestyle actions that you can implement immediately for stoke prevention.

If you smoke, Stop. Smoking is a major contributing risk factor for stoke, because of its effects on the cardiovascular system. Even if you have smoked for years, stopping now will help you reduce your stroke risk.

Adopt and maintain a low fat diet. A low fat diet will help you maintain a low cholesterol level thus minimizing blockage of the arteries.

Limit the amount of salt in your diet. A low sodium diet means no more than a total of 2.3 grams of salt a day. As you begin to monitor your salt, also think about increasing your potassium intake. If you eat prepared food learn how to read and use the USDA food label. The label will give you guidance on how much salt and potassium is in the prepared food. At home, salt lightly and last as you prepare foods. It may take a while but your palate will adjust to less salt.

Be physically active on a regular basis. Think about physical activity rather than exercise. Physical activity can include a regularly scheduled exercise program such as biking, water aerobics or weight lifting and also encompass gardening, walking to work, cleaning the house, washing the car.

Drink alcohol in moderation. the Centers for Disease Control suggests that is no more than an average of one drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men.

Another group of actions that are important to take require discussion and interaction with your doctor. While you can take lifestyle changes proactively only through in-depth discussion with your doctor can the decisions about medication be made.

Know and control your blood pressure. The National Stoke Association suggests that you have your doctor take your blood pressure at least once a year. You can purchase blood pressure monitor to use at home on a more frequent basis. The lifestyle changes you have made from the list above, such as stopping smoking, being more active and limiting your salt intake will help lower your blood pressure. However, if your doctor prescribes blood pressure medication, take as prescribed.

Monitor your cholesterol and maintain at recommended levels. If you have high cholesterol modify your diet to lower your fat intake, engage in moderate physical activity on a regular basis. The National Institutes of Health recommends at least 2.5 hours of aerobic physical activity a week for adults. If your doctor recommends medication to lower your cholesterol, take as prescribed.

Take low dose aspirin as a preventive measure. Your doctor may suggest a daily low dose aspirin as a preventive measure.

Know the signs and symptoms of a stroke. Because early aggressive treatment is important for stoke recovery, learn the signs of stoke and know what to do.

If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, follow your doctor's recommendations completely. Change your diet to decrease fat intake and lose weight, engage in physician activity, monitor your blood sugar and take any and all medications. Your doctors may prescribe a cholesterol lowering medication.

Finally, if you have been diagnosed with any heart condition, such as congestive heart failure or atrial fibrillation, that is a risk factor for stoke follow your doctor's treatment and control orders.