A former neurocritical care nurse has shared five things you can do to keep your brain healthy and lower your risk of having a stroke.
Siobhan Mclernon, a senior lecturer in adult nursing at London South Bank University, recently talked about how small changes to your daily life can help you avoid having a stroke.
A stroke happens when blood flow to the brain is stopped or interrupted, or when a blood vessel breaks. This stops the blood and oxygen that the brain needs to stay healthy, and if enough brain cells die, the damage could become permanent.
Strokes are the second most prevalent cause of mortality in the globe and the fifth most common cause of death in the US. Every year, around 800,000 Americans have a stroke, and at least 140,000 of them die.
High blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking, not getting enough exercise, and a bad diet are all stroke risk factors that are more common in older individuals. However, these risk factors are becoming more common in younger people as well.
Mclernon, on the other hand, said in The Conversation: “Making these small changes to your lifestyle can lower your risk of stroke and improve the health of both your heart and brain.”
DailyMail.com lists the common lifestyle adjustments Mclernon recommends to avoid a brain stroke:
The Stroke Association says that having high levels of “bad” cholesterol can raise your risk of stroke by 10%.
The usual habits that can lead to a lethal stroke
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Don’t smoke
Mclernon said that the best way to improve brain health is to stop smoking cigarettes and vapes.
Smoking harms the walls of blood vessels in the brain and lowers general oxygen levels since tobacco contains carbon monoxide. This makes the body more likely to have a stroke.
It also makes blood sticky, which raises the chance of blood clots that can block blood vessels and lead to a stroke.
Medical News Today says that persons who smoke 20 cigarettes a day are six times more likely to suffer a stroke than people who don’t smoke.
Keep your cholesterol levels stable and your blood pressure stable.
Siobhan Mclernon, a former neurocritical care nurse, has shared five things you can do to keep your brain health.
Stress on the walls of arteries from high blood pressure can make them weaker and cause fat molecules to build up.
This can hurt the vessels a lot and make it easier for blood clots to form or break them.
According to a 2020 study in JAMA, having blood pressure 10 mm Hg higher than normal can raise the risk of strokes caused by blood clots by 20% and strokes caused by the bursting of a blood vessel by 31%.
The nurse stated in The Conversation, “If you’re over 18, get your blood pressure checked regularly. If you start to show signs of developing high blood pressure, you can nip it in the bud and make changes to your lifestyle to lower your risk of stroke.”
Also, research shows that high levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats) make strokes caused by blood clots more likely because fatty deposits build up in the arteries.
The Stroke Association says that having high levels of “bad” cholesterol can raise the risk of stroke by 10 percent.
Mclernon says that the best way to make your brain healthier is to stop smoking cigarettes and vapes.
Lower blood sugar levels
Mclernon said that blood sugar levels in the body are another important thing to keep an eye on.
Having high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is a major risk factor for stroke because it can damage blood vessels, which can lead to blood clots that go to the brain.
Over time, too much glucose in the blood can cause fatty deposits or clots to build up in blood vessels. These clots can make blood arteries in the brain smaller or even stop them from working.
The speaker said, “To lower your blood sugar levels, try to exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet high in fiber, drink enough water, keep your weight in check, and try to deal with stress.”
People with diabetes are twice as likely to have a stroke as people who don’t have diabetes.
Keep your weight and diet in check.
Eating imbalanced meals and being overweight can greatly increase the chances of getting a stroke.
If you are overweight, you are more likely to get high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes. All of these conditions can harm blood cells, affect oxygen levels, and raise your chance of having a stroke.
People who have a BMI of 25 or more are considered overweight, and people who have a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese.
Mclernon adds that eating a Mediterranean diet can help you stay healthy.
The World Stroke organization says that being overweight raises your risk of stroke by 22 percent, while being obese raises your risk by 64 percent.
Mclernon, on the other hand, argues that following a Mediterranean diet, which focuses on plant-based foods and healthy fats including vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, whole grains, fish, extra virgin olive oil, and nuts, will help keep you healthy.
She said, “Following a Mediterranean diet is one way to eat a balanced diet high in fiber and keep your weight in check.” Adding nuts and olive oil to this has been demonstrated to lower the risk of stroke.
Exercise and sleep are very important.
Finally, the adult nurse and senior lecturer said that people should receive seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
Poor sleep and sleep disorders, especially sleep apnea, are connected to a higher risk of stroke, though not directly. This may be because they promote inflammation, lower oxygen levels, and less blood flow to the brain.
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham looked at data on 5,666 people for three years and found that people who slept less than six hours a night were four times more likely to have stroke symptoms than people who slept seven to eight hours a night.
Mclernon also recommends against resting too much, saying, “Too much sleep, however, is also linked to a higher risk of stroke, so try to stay as active as possible so you can sleep as well as possible.”
She also tells them to work out more than twice a week.
The CDC says that adults in the US should obtain at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, as well as muscle-strengthening workouts at least two days a week.
You should work out four to five days a week, or every day. The nurse said to do strengthening activities at least twice a week.
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