Stroke
And
Smoking
A Look at Stroke Risk Associated With Smoking
Smoking puts your brain at major risk by
dramatically increasing the chances of having a stroke.
And stroke is a major concern because it’s the
fourth leading cause of death in the United States.
Smoking is one of the greatest risk factors for
having a stroke.
However, your risks multiply if you also have
other risk factors such as being overweight, having high blood pressure and
cholesterol, and getting too little exercise.
Smokers are at risk of having a stroke nearly 10
years younger compared to the non-smoking general population.
Fortunately, the National Stroke Association
says that as many as 80 percent of strokes can be prevented by addressing your
lifestyle risks.
What Smoking Does to Your
Circulation
Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen in your
blood, which is one of the major ways that it contributes to having a
stroke.
When there’s less oxygen in your blood, your
heart has to work harder to pump the blood through your body compared to a
non-smoker.
Smoking also makes blood clots more likely to
form and increases the amount of plaque buildup in your arteries.
The combination of the blood clots and increased
plaque are the right conditions for a stroke to occur.
The arteries leading to your brain are especially
vulnerable to damage by smoking.
As these arteries shrink and tighten, it may be
impossible for adequate blood flow to get to your brain and creates the right
conditions for an aneurysm to occur.
Smoking damages smaller blood vessels, making
them more likely to rupture.
Factors that Make Stroke
More Likely
Not everyone has the same risk of having a
stroke – not even all smokers.
Some people are at increased risk of stroke
because of other health and lifestyle factors.
People with sleep disorders are at much greater
risk of having a stroke.
Men with obstructive sleep apnea have nearly
double the stroke risk of the general population, and women with sleep apnea
also face increased risks, though not to the same degree.
The more severe the obstructive sleep apnea, the
greater the stroke risk.
Women who use birth control pills are also at a
significantly increased risk for stroke.
Medical and public health officials warn that
women over age 35 should not smoke and take birth control pills, because these
combined behaviors present a potentially deadly risk.
There is no safe amount of smoking for women on
birth control pills.
Men who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a
day are also at a greatly increased risk of stroke.
Effects of Stroke
Stroke can be
fatal and can kill you instantly.
However, even
if you’re lucky enough to survive having a stroke – which is the case nearly 85
percent of the time – you can be left with permanent damage after having a
stroke.
People who
have had strokes often need to go back to learning the basics.
After having
a stroke, it is not unusual for people to be able to forget important details
about their personal history, to become unable to recognize family members and
friends, and even to need to learn how to walk and talk again.
Because the
brain controls all of your body’s functions, a stroke can impact any one of
them.
Many people
struggle with coordination after a stroke.
Rehabilitation
is possible, but is a lengthy process and the success rate depends largely upon
how motivated you are and how severe the stroke was.
Many people
are unable to return to their previous careers after a stroke, which can cause
depression.
Prevention
Stroke is
extremely preventable in the vast majority of cases.
Here are some
of the things you can do to reduce your risk:
Quit smoking.
If you can’t quit, at least try to cut down. Recent studies have also
shown that menthol cigarettes are linked to a higher risk of stroke, compared
to non-menthol cigarettes.
Do not smoke
if you are a woman taking birth control pills. Find a non-hormonal alternative
for contraception.
Get some
exercise every day. You don’t have to spend your whole life in the gym, but
even a 30 minute walk most days of the week can be enough to keep your blood
pressure low enough to reduce your stroke risk.
Follow a
healthy diet. A poor diet is linked to high cholesterol, which can further
increase your risk of having a stroke.
Manage your
stress, which will help to keep blood pressure levels low.
One thing
that is strongly in your favor is that your risk of stroke goes down
dramatically very quickly after you quit smoking.
Although the
risk of cancer remains increased for many years after you quit smoking, the
risk of stroke goes down to nearly of a non-smoker in just 18 months on
average.
.
Your body
starts the healing and repair process soon after you quit.
https://quitsmokingcommunity.org/stroke-risk/
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