Managing blood pressure levels, reducing or quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, and regular physical activity will reduce the risk of a second stroke, along with managing conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke. What can stroke patients do to avoid a recurrence?
Prevent a Second Stroke
A large majority of strokes can be prevented through education and lifestyle changes such as moving more, healthy eating, managing blood pressure, getting healthy sleep, and quitting smoking and vaping. Talk to your doctor about managing your stroke risk factors to help prevent a stroke.
“Your risk of a second stroke is highest within the first two days,” says neurologist Blake Buletko, MD. “But you remain most vulnerable for up to three months and even up to one year after the first stroke.”
Exercise is key to getting traditional stroke risk factors under control. Experts recommend 10 to 20 minutes of physical activity, four times a week, to help reduce the risk of a second stroke, or even a first one.
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.
There are two main causes of stroke: a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or leaking or bursting of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke).
Yes, a second stroke is typically worse than the first due to the additional damage to the brain. According to research, the second stroke carries “significant cognitive and physical disabilities” compared to the first stroke.
Second strokes are serious medical emergencies, and the risk of recurrent stroke increases greatly after a single stroke. All of this makes second stroke prevention a crucial part of recovery.
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.
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.
Some people recover fully, but others have long-term or lifelong disabilities. Learn more about stroke rehabilitation from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
For this reason, the 60 minutes after the onset of stroke symptoms are known as “the golden hour.” If treatment can be initiated within this brief window, the patient's outcome is likely to be better.
Give yourself plenty of time to recover from your stroke. It can take many months before post-stroke fatigue starts to lift. Accepting that it takes time to improve can help you to cope better. Find out how much you can do in a day and stick to it.
This can include drooping of the face, weakness of one arm or side of the body, slurred speech, and sometimes headache or vision changes. If you notice any new or worsening stroke symptoms, call 911 immediately.
If you have one-sided weakness and suddenly get weak in another part of the body, you could be having another stroke. Additionally, any weakness that gets worse can signal a problem.
Three factors, in my opinion, warrant emphasis in predicting and explaining progression and significant worsening: (1) presence of a severe flow-reducing arterial lesion supplying the ischemic zone, (2) chronic hypertension, and (3) a diminished frequency of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) preceding the stroke.
The major risk factors for stroke include: High blood pressure. Diabetes. Heart and blood vessel diseases: Conditions that can cause blood clots or other blockages include coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, heart valve disease, and carotid artery disease.
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.
The first question a stroke survivor should ask:
Of people who survive a first white stroke, within 1 year 8% will have another one (1), and within 2 years 11% will have a second one (2). In one study, 39% of second strokes were fatal (2).