Nothing is more devastating than someone becoming a victim of cerebrovascular accident or stroke. Stroke is a debilitating disease, physically and mentally. It also affects relationships since it causes so much tension among family members on who will take care of the stroke victim’s daily needs. Stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or the conditions leading to the disease, such as hypertension or hypercholesterolemia, may be hereditary, but you can do a lot to prevent stroke from developing. Herewith are some ways to avoid stroke:

1. Hit the Gym

   According to a study that was published in Neurology, a journal for the American Academy of Neurology, older people who hit the gym regularly, or even those who include exercises in their daily routine are less likely to develop silent stroke, a type of stroke that develops tiny lesions in the brain, a forerunner of an impending large strokes. By indulging in moderate to intense exercises, older people will keep their brains healthy. Another study that is participated by 265 people with age averaging 68 years old, conducted in Copenhagen, Denmark, has demonstrated that those who are actually physically active before stroke strikes them, have lesser tendencies to get severe complications and have grater chances to recover than those who used to have sedentary lifestyle. By hitting the gym at a younger age, stroke is more likely to be avoided.

2. Eat berries

   Almost all types if berries are beneficial for brain health. Berries – whether strawberries, blueberries, elderberries, raspberries and blackberries – are rich in phytonutrients that can aid in preventing oxidative stress as well as inflammation. In the case of stroke prevention, berries eat up the free radicals that are floating within the blood vessels. One of these is the cholesterol that has been sticking at the walls of the arteries, waiting to accumulate and causing clogging of the blood vessel that will eventually deprive the brain cells from receiving the necessary nutrients and the essential oxygen. In the case of brain attacks, increases antioxidants in the blood that comes from high amounts of berry consumption can help in reducing further damage to the brain.

3. Avoid too much exposure to pollution

   A recent study made by the researchers of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center shows that even with air pollution rated by the EPA as safe, chances of developing stroke is still high at 34 percent. Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine dated February 14, 2012, the research included a 10-year study on 1700 patients who suffered stroke. The focus of the researchers is on the PM2.5 particles, or particles having a diameter of 2.5 millionths per meter. The particles may be from cars, trucks, factories, burning wood or power plants that can easily pass through the respiratory system into the lungs. Exposure to these particles just within the day, especially when it is made of black carbon or nitrogen dioxide, is associated to increased risk of stroke. When there are more pollutants on air in a day, the risk is higher. Aside from the EPA trying to consider these results, it is best to keep one from being too exposed to any types of air pollution.

4. Practice good oral hygiene

   So what’s the relationship of the mouth and stroke? Remember that mouth harbors hundreds to thousands of microorganism, especially bacteria. When this bacteria increase in the mouth, it causes gum diseases and eventually bleeding. When there is bleeding, bacteria can easily have an access to the blood vessels. Inside the blood vessels together with the oxygen-rich blood, bacteria will flourish. Some types of bacteria stick with the platelets, which allows the platelet to stick together causing an embolus, which can travel to the very fine and narrow arteries found in the brain. These traveling clots will clog the arteries and causes lesions that will eventually develop into a stroke. Even if you are eating right, even with low cholesterol and normal blood pressure, if you have bad oral hygiene and you have developed periodontal diseases, stroke is still possible to happen in your body.

5. Go for Oats

   Large companies are advertising the goodness of oatmeal and you wonder how it is possible. A cup of cooked oatmeal can provide 68 percent of manganese’s daily value. It also provides nutrients, such as selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and fiber. Oats can lower cholesterol level through its fiber called beta-glucan. In a study, a bowl of oatmeal that contains about 3 grams of soluble fiber can lower the total cholesterol by 8-23 percent. Consuming it daily is highly beneficial in lowering cholesterol; especially since cholesterol accumulating within the blood vessel may develop into plaques that can clog an artery in the brain causing cerebrovascular accident.

6. Be Happy

   Happiness varies in degree among individuals. It is difficult to command people to be happy, and it is quite hard to measure happiness in individuals. In a study published in 2001 by the Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of American Psychosomatic Society, having a positive affect that can be categorized as high in degree can actually protect older people from developing stroke. It would seem like happiness creates a protective shield against diseases. Through the subjects self-assessment of their happiness as well as objective evaluation of conditions that may negate happiness, such as smoking and drinking, researchers in University of Texas in Galveston was able come up with the result that happiness can actually protect an individual from future stroke scenario.

7. Check your snoring

   Not only is snoring an ingredient for divorce, snoring can also be a risk factor in stroke development. Snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition when a person stops breathing at the middle of sleep. This condition, according to studies, puts the person at risk for cerebrovascular accident. The pathophysiology explains that when a person’s breathing is obstructed during sleep, oxygen level decreases. The tendency of the body when oxygen decreases is to increase hormones, such as adrenaline, to increase. Increase in adrenaline causes blood pressure to surge, which increases the risk of developing stroke. You will know if you have sleep apnea when in the morning, you still feel sleepy, as if you have not rested. In this case, visit your physician for further assessment of this condition.

Sources
menshealth.co.uk
sciencedaily.com
sciencedaily.com
sciencedaily.com
worldhealth.net
mentalhealth.about.com