Updated December 30, 2014.

Habits as Stroke Risk Factors

Believe or some of your habits can be risk factors for stroke, Commonly doctors like to call those habits that increase your stroke risk "environmental stroke risk factors". They include:

Birth Control Pills: If you are in the habit of taking birth control pills, you are increasing your risk of stroke. Specifically birth control pills increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, especially in women who smoke.

Cigarette Smoking You probably know this already, but more than just a habit, smoking can be called a bad habit. In fact, smoking is one of the most powerful risk factors for stroke, as it increases the stroke risk from high blood pressure,diabetes, and high cholesterol. Furthermore, smoking combined with birth control pills specifically increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke in women.

Alcohol Consumption: Although some studies suggest that light consumption of alcoholic beverages can decrease the risk of ischemic stroke, heavy alcohol consumption has been shown over and over again to increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Binging on alcohol can also lead to atrial fibrillation through a phenomenon called the holiday heart syndrome.
<sub>Sources:
GA Colditz, R Bonita, MJ Stampfer, WC Willett, B Rosner, FE Speizer, and CH Hennekens Cigarette smoking and risk of stroke in middle-aged womenNew England Journal of Medicine 318:937-941 April 14 1988

R. P. Donahue, R. D. Abbott, D. M. Reed and K. Yano Alcohol and hemorrhagic stroke. The Honolulu Heart ProgramJournal of the American Medical Association 255:2311-4; May 2 1986

Related reading: Recreational Drugs, Alcohol and Stroke</sub>