Are you doing enough to protect yourself from a stroke? It's a question that many people should be asking themselves, and since May is National Stroke Awareness Month, now is a good time to think about reducing your risk.
Strokes: Who gets them?
Every 40 seconds, an American has a stroke, according to the American Heart Association. Someone dies of a stroke every 3 minutes or so, which added up to nearly 150,000 stroke deaths in 2006.
Factors that make you more likely to have a stroke include:
- Having high blood pressure. If your blood pressure is considered normal - a number less than 120/80 - you'll lower your chance of having a stroke sometime in your life by roughly half.
- Smoking. If you don't smoke, you also have about half the risk of a stroke as someone who currently smokes.
- Having diabetes. If you have this common condition, you'll also be at greater risk of stroke.
- Eating a diet high in saturated fat and salt. These can raise your cholesterol level and blood pressure, both of which are linked to stroke.
- Being physically inactive or overweight. Being unfit can make you more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, thus raising your risk of stroke.
- Being in your later years, being male, or having a family history of stroke. These are all factors you can't change, so if you fall into one of these categories, it's even more important to work on the factors you can fix.
Recognize the Signs of Stroke
Now is also a good time to refresh your memory about the signs of a stroke. According to the National Stroke Association, you should call 911 promptly if any of these symptoms develop suddenly:
- Numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on just one side of the body
- Confusion or trouble speaking
- Vision problems
- Dizziness or trouble walking
- Severe headache that you can't explain
Learn more about stroke
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