How to Prevent Stroke in the Elderly

As the saying goes, prevention is the best cure. There are several risk factors (4) that can make you more vulnerable to a stroke. Knowing what these are and how you can lower them is a key step in reducing your risk of suffering a stroke.

Eating a Healthy Diet

While not a direct method of reducing your risk, a healthy diet is good at promoting your overall well-being and reduces your vulnerability to multiple forms of chronic disease and acute conditions, including stroke. Limiting your intake of sodium, solid fats, refined grains, or excess sugar should be incorporated alongside things such as eating more vegetables and whole grains, or swapping out red meat for seafood more frequently.

Engaging in Physical Activity

If you’re looking for how to prevent stroke naturally, diet and exercise are the best ways to go. 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, can be enough to reduce your stroke risk.

Quitting Smoking

Among its other unpleasant health effects, smoking doubles your risk of stroke due to how it increases clot formation and plaque buildups. The method you use, whether through patches or counseling or going cold-turkey, doesn’t matter as much as being able to kick the habit.

Managing Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a form of irregular heartbeat that is more common in people over 60 and is also one of the leading risk factors of stroke. It’s possible to have an abnormal rhythm and not realize it since the condition often occurs without any noticeable symptoms. Your doctor can run the necessary tests and exams to see if you have atrial fibrillation, and can work with you to manage the condition and reduce your risk.

Addressing Hypertension

High blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke. In hypertension, the heart is forced to pump harder, and this additional force can weaken blood vessels and make them more vulnerable to damage or leaks. A mixture of diet and medication can be used to better control blood pressure and reduce this vulnerability. Diet and medication to control cholesterol can also be of use.

Managing Diabetes

Uncontrolled or poorly managed diabetes can cause prolonged periods of high blood sugar, which is capable of damaging blood vessels. This makes clots more likely to form and raises your risk of suffering a stroke. Proper monitoring of blood sugar levels, taking insulin when appropriate, and staying active are all possible ways of staying on top of the condition.

Source: How to Prevent Stroke in the Elderly