Ways to Reduce Your Stroke Risk

There are some great recovery breakthroughs for stroke recovery that are being utilized, these include;

• transcranial magnetic stimulation where they send magnetic pulses across the skull to affected areas to either stimulate or dampen signaling from that region,
• vagus nerve stimulation, and
• stem cell injections (very preliminary in trials). 

However, as with most things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and there are 7 things that can help with health and wellness but may reduce the risk of stroke.

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1. Moving at a brisk pace – regularly walking at a pace over 3 mph may be linked to a 53% lower risk of stroke compared to a pace of less than 2 mph
2. Strong grip – A report from a 2026 report in the journal Stroke showed a weaker grip correlated with increased stroke risk.  Squeezing a tennis ball, stress ball, or putty are simple things to help increase your grip strength.
3. Increased waist circumference and hip to waist ratio are linked to increased risk factors as well, in some studies water aerobics 2-3 times per week for more than 10 weeks helped reduce waist circumference by 1 inch on average.  Water aerobics can also be a lot more gentle on arthritic joints.
4. Another recent study in Stroke magazine found that regular flossing was associated with a 23% lower risk of ischemic stroke, a 40% lower risk of clots traveling from the heart to the brain and a 12% lower risk of A-Fib.
5. Untreated moderate to severe sleep apnea can lead to increased risk of heart attack and stroke as it lowers blood oxygen levels and can elevate blood pressure.
6. People over 45 who have migraines w/aura’s have been shown to have an increased risk of stroke compared to people with migraines w/o auras and people without migraines.  Chiropractic adjusting has been very effective for lots of people to reduce their migraines.
7. People with A-fib have been found to be 5 times more likely to have a stroke then those who don’t, if you suspect this follow up with your medical provider ASAP.

Source of Inspiration: AARP Fall Bulletin, 2026