With the losses of both Luke Perry and John Singleton due to stoke so far this year, many of us among the mid-life posse are possibly consumed with our own mortality. We grew up with these icons and followed their successes and life experiences. Sometimes sharing experiences (minus the Oscar or million dollar life styles). All the sudden, it seams a stroke is our number one concern.
In another post, I discussed how loss comes in waves. This trend continues. We watch the news and follow the social media. There must be an out of control phenomena causing midlife men to move on to whatever that next chapter is.
Because we see it in the news or on social media, that doesn’t mean that its a new issue that we NOW have to be aware of. Here are some sobering stats about stroke. From : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3250269/
STATS
- Its the 4th leading cause of death in the USA
- Its the #1 cause of disability in the USA
- Each year, there are more than 800,000 people experiencing a stroke (either first or second)
- Risk of stroke DOUBLES ever year over 55
In my real life, i’m a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and have been exposed to many of these affected individuals for my entire career. From old to very young. Strokes are VERY common unfortunately
There are however risk factors that you may be able to control;
RISKS
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Cardiac Issues
- Smoking
- Abdominal Obesity (Beer Belly)
- Hyperlipidemia
- Physical Inactivity
- Alcohol
- Diet
- STRESS and DEPRESSION
Many of these are common place in the middle age handbook. What Sunday afternoon ride doesn’t end in a trip to the local pub for an ice cold beer and maybe some wings.
The reality is, we ALL are at risk of stroke. This risk increases as we age and possibly with the help of some of our own bad habits. Which ones can you change??
Focus on that last one. Depression and Stress. Think of that two wheeled machine as your solution for #10 and not your outlet to more #8. Its a hard balance some times.
Ride safe, be well, and enjoy life.