Strokes: Your Guide To Stroke Prevention
Getting help quickly during a stroke can help lead to a full recovery.
What happens during a stroke?
A stroke is when brain cells are being deprived of oxygen and begin to die, affecting the areas of the brain that control muscles and memory. During this time, as many as 1.9 million brain cells die every minute during a stroke.
There are three primary types of strokes:
- Ischemic - clots in blood vessels supplying blood to the brain
- Hemorrhagic - when a weakened blood vessel ruptures
- TIA - a temporary clot or "mini-stroke" or warning stroke
There are a number of uncontrollable risk factors, but still important to identify to assess the overall risk for stroke. These include: age, family history, ad previous strokes or TIAs.
Medically, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol reduces the risk of strokes, as does controlling irregular heartbeat (AFib) with medication.
Prevention is key, and there are lifestyle changes hat can mitigate the risk of a stroke, such as:
- Maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise;
- Refraining from tobacco use as smoking can increase clot formations;
- Drinking alcohol in moderation as it increases blood pressure which heightens the risk of strokes.
Getting Help during a stroke
Experts agree that getting treatment within the first 60 minutes, or the "Golden Hour" can significantly increase the chances of recovery, or diminish the long term impact of a stroke. A medical alert system allows the wearer to press one simple button and be immediately connected to emergency response professionals, even if they are unable to speak. A medical alert system with automatic fall detection built into the pendant can add an additional layer of protection for those who are susceptible to falls and strokes.
Please review the info-graphic above "Moments Matter - A Complete Stroke Resource" courtesy of Crouse Hospital. And be sure to see our other stroke-related tips to help keep yourself safe:
