Age — People age 55 or older have a higher risk of stroke than do younger people. Race or ethnicity — African Americans and Hispanics have a higher risk of stroke than do people of other races or ethnicities. Sex — Men have a higher risk of stroke than do women.
The older you are, the more likely you are to have a stroke. The chance of having a stroke about doubles every 10 years after age 55. Although stroke is common among older adults, many people younger than 65 years also have strokes.
Risk of having a first stroke is nearly twice as high for non-Hispanic Black adults as for White adults,2 and non-Hispanic Black adults and Pacific Islander adults have the highest rates of death due to stroke.
Ultimately it all comes down to playing the odds. A healthy diet, regular exercise, drinking in moderation and not smoking dramatically reduces the chance of having a stroke. Yet some people with the healthiest of lifestyles will still have a stroke, while some who do the exact opposite will not.
Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke. One study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.
Stress can cause the heart to work harder, increase blood pressure, and increase sugar and fat levels in the blood. These things, in turn, can increase the risk of clots forming and travelling to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.
How Does a Stroke Impact Life Expectancy? Despite the likelihood of making a full recovery, life expectancy after stroke incidents can decrease. Unfortunately, researchers have observed a wide range of life expectancy changes in stroke patients, but the average reduction in lifespan is nine and a half years.
Drink a lot of water: You should drink at least five glasses of water per day, and this will reduce your risk of stroke by 53%, according to a recent study by Loma Linda University.
Study participants who reported the highest stress levels were 33% more likely to have a stroke than those who felt less anxious or stressed. The greater the anxiety level, the higher the stroke risk, but even modest increases raised stroke risk.
According to the study authors, anger or emotional upset was linked to an approximately 30% higher risk of having a stroke within one hour of experiencing those emotions. Another potential stroke trigger revealed by the study was heavy physical exertion, although the evidence was less convincing.
Foods high in potassium, such as sweet and white potatoes, bananas, tomatoes, prunes, melon and soybeans, can help you maintain a healthy blood pressure — the leading risk factor of stroke. Magnesium-rich foods, such as spinach, are also linked to a lower risk of stroke.
Recovery time after a stroke is different for everyone—it can take weeks, months, or even years. Some people recover fully, but others have long-term or lifelong disabilities.
Few patients recover fully and most are left with some disability, but the majority exhibit some degree of spontaneous recovery. Doctors and scientists don't fully understand how this happens, because the brain does not grow new cells to replace the ones damaged by the stroke.
Chronic stress directly impacts the cardiovascular system, which damages the arteries when left unmanaged. Vascular damage can eventually lead to a stroke, which is a medical emergency caused by a clogged or burst artery in the brain.
Inflammation can come from increased cortisol—a stress hormone—that changes when you're sleep-deprived. The inflammation raises your risk for arterial hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Meager sleep also increases heart rate and blood pressure, putting you at even higher risk for stroke.
A silent stroke refers to a stroke that doesn't cause any noticeable symptoms. Most strokes are caused by a clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain. The blockage prevents blood and oxygen from reaching that area, causing nearby brain cells to die.
Almost 800,000 people have a stroke each year, more than 140,000 die and many survivors face disability. This is disturbing because about 80% of strokes are preventable. High blood pressure is the single most important treatable risk factor for stroke.
Low doses of aspirin — such as 75 to 100 milligrams (mg), but most commonly 81 mg — can be effective at preventing heart attack or stroke. Health care providers usually prescribe a daily dose between 75 mg and 325 mg.