How would you know if you were at the risk of a stroke? While there is no absolute way to know that, you will, or will not ever have a stroke in your lifetime, there are signs that indicate, that you are at high risk of stroke.
The good news is that you can do something about every one of these signs, so as to significantly lower your stroke risk. Please Pay attention.
1) Your blood pressure is out of control
If you consistently have high pressure or if you are trying to avoid actually finding out what your blood pressure is – that is bad news. I call it living in denial, you refuse to check your blood pressure, lest it might be high.
The good news is that high blood pressure can be managed with medication, diet and lifestyle adjustment such as lowering stress and not smoking, and you will live to a very ripe old age without infirmities.
Make sure you see your doctor to find out what your blood pressure is and, under your doctor’s supervision, start making changes if you need to.
2) Your blood sugar is high – or you don’t know what it is
Erratic blood sugar, chronically elevated blood sugar or uncontrolled diabetes can damage blood vessels, increasing your risk of stroke.
Make sure to see your doctor regularly, so that you can get appropriate diabetes screening and proper treatment, through diet and medication.
Unmanaged diabetes could lead to cataract formation, blindness, atherosclerosis, hip joint necrosis and foot drop.
3) You smoke
Smoking is a hard habit to break. It is one of the most significant signs that you are at risk of having a stroke.
The good news is that, despite the harmful stroke- causing-impact of smoking, these effects amazingly reverse over time after you quit smoking.
4) You don’t get enough exercise
Exercise is easy to ignore. It can seem like a hassle. It can be tough to start exercising, if you have aches  and pains.
But no matter what your health situation is – whether you are healthy, or if you have already, had a serious stroke, there are safe and easy exercises that can keep you fit, while decreasing your stroke risk.
5) You have high cholesterol
This is a confusing one, especially lately. While, American Heart Association(AHA), recommendations for dietary cholesterol, have changed recently, you still need to maintain recommended levels.
It is now known that dietary fat and genetic factors cause high cholesterol.
6) You are always flying off the handle
Stress is a major contributor to Hypertension, heart disease and diabetes – all of which cause stroke.
Stress control and an overall calm, relaxed lifestyle can significantly decrease your stroke ris.k
7) You carry deep stress
Stress isn’t always manifested as blowing your fuse. Some people are stressed out because of the burden of hiding something, living secret anger, and constantly trying to impress someone who is hard to please, or endlessly chasing after approval.
Overcoming hidden stress is equally as important as overcoming more obvious stress.
8) You don’t take your medications
Most stroke risk factors can be managed, but it requires regularly taking your medications, buying your drugs and doing regular check ups.
9) You don’t get attention for your heart disease
If you have shortness of breath when you walk or exert yourself, or if you experience chest pain, then you are running a huge risk of a stroke or a heart attack. So consult your doctor.
10) Ignoring Transient Ischaemia Attack(TIA)
Whenever you notice any of the signs I listed above, please consult your doctor. Always be medically guided.