1. What increases your risk of a brain stroke?
A brain stroke is a serious condition, which occurs when the blood supply to various parts of the brain is disrupted. This prevents the brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients, leading to a stroke.
There are many lifestyle choices that can increase your chances of experiencing a stroke. From unhealthy eating to leading a sedentary life, different factors can increase risk of stroke, making both men and women prone.
According to researchers at John Hopkins Medicine, taking contraceptive pills can increase one’s risk of a stroke. This indicates that women are more prone to a stroke than men. As per experts, the combined oral contraceptive pill and contraceptive patch include the hormone oestrogen, which increases the risk of stroke.
That said, there are many other factors that can lead to an increased risk of a brain stroke.
2. Smoking
Cigarette smoking is an injurious and extremely harmful habit that not only makes you more prone to strokes, but also impacts your heart health and respiratory functions.
Experts at John Hopkins Medicine said, “Smoking almost doubles your risk for an ischemic stroke.”
3. Lack of physical activity
Being inactive, not exercising regularly, can not only make you overweight and obese, but it can also cause major illnesses. It increases your risk of stroke and also make you vulnerable to many other chronic conditions.
Regular exercise, eating healthy and restricting unhealthy lifestyle habits can protect you from any life-threatening conditions and complications.
As per the experts at John Hopkins medicine, “Binge drinking can lead to stroke.” “More than two drinks per day raises your blood pressure,” experts add.
According to the UK’s National Health Services (NHS), “Binge drinking usually refers to drinking lots of alcohol in a short space of time or drinking to get drunk.”
While for women, six units of alcohol in a single session is classified as binge drinking, for men, it is 8 units that constitute binge drinking.
5. Other risk factors of a stroke
There are many other risk factors for a brain stroke. Medical conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, Atrial Fibrillation (AF) i.e. irregular heartbeats are all controllable risk factors. Family history, age, gender are uncontrollable risk factors.
6. Treatment
When someone experiences a stroke, time is of the essence. One needs to act immediately if they see someone suffering with a stroke, best if it is treated within the first few hours from stroke onset.
In order to treat an ischemic stroke, doctors must quickly restore blood flow to the brain.
Some of the methods to it are through emergency IV medication and emergency endovascular procedures, which includes medications delivered directly to the brain or by removing the clot with a stent retriever. However, in case of a hemorrhagic stroke, surgery may be recommended.
