How To Prevent Brain Stroke?

As the famous quote says, 'prevention is better than cure', let us take you through some preventive measures to keep you and your loved ones away from the dreadful consequences of brain stroke. Brain stroke occurs due to an interruption in the regular blood flow to the brain or rupture of a blood vessel causing brain cells in the affected area to die or become disabled. Stroke is a vascular disease, so anything that keeps the blood vessels healthy can reduce the risk of stroke. Top 8 things that will reduce the likelihood of having a brain stroke: 

1. Eat well: Having good eating habits are not just good for a healthy outlook of the body, but also benefits the body in many other ways. Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of fibre, reducing salt and saturated fat intake can keep blood vessels healthy and reduce the risk of stroke. 
2. Stay Active: Regular exercising not just makes you feel and look good, but also reduces the odds of developing a brain stroke. Exercising regularly keeps the heart and brain vessels healthy. 
3. Say no to Smoking and drugs: Yes! The more you smoke, the more are the chances of suffering a deadly brain stroke. 
4. Control your blood pressure: The ideal blood pressure for a healthy person is 120/80 mm of mercury. Regular check-up of blood pressure is advisable to control the chances of suffering a stroke as high blood pressure can directly cause a brain hemorrhage. 
5. Drink in limits: Limit the amount of alcohol you consume. Chronic alcoholics suffer from malnutrition and liver problems which compound the chances of stroke and its severity. Alcoholic liver disease causes blood clotting to be impaired, increasing the chances of stroke.Consulting a de-addiction specialist is the best option in case you are not able to control your alcohol intake. 
6. Cholesterol: People suffering from high cholesterol are at higher risk of strokes as the cholesterol can deposit in the wall of arteries in the body making the arteries narrow and the body more prone to suffer a stroke. Reducing saturated fat like red meat, dairy fat etc., and increasing MUFA like mustard or olive oil can help reduce cholesterol. 
7. Diabetes: uncontrolled high blood sugar over long periods is one of the most prominent reasons behind stroke. One should get his sugar level checked regularly, especially if there is diabetes in the family. 
8. Stress: Prolonged stress generally leads to high blood pressure and reduced body immunity, and hence becomes a reason for stroke.

Consultation with a doctor and/or psychiatrist is advisable in case a person if suffering from stress or depression. Ultimately, improving your health and taking charge of your life should be the top most priority and should never be ignored at any cost. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Neurosurgeon.