Lower your stroke risk!

vessels. A technique called “lucky seven” is especially easy and effective: Whenever you feel stress or anger rising, slowly breathe in to a count of seven, hold for seven, then exhale for another count of seven. Repeat for three minutes.

Turns

out, we’re twice as likely as men to have a stroke—and the risk increases each year! But there’s good news: The latest research reveals you can significantly drop your stroke risk just by:

Nixing stress by breathing deeply!

The journal Hypertension reports that how we react to life’s annoyances might put us at a higher risk of stroke. “Stress—and angry outbursts, in particular— can triple your stroke risk, especially within two hours of the outburst,” explains naturopath Michelle Schoffro Cook, PH.D. “Anger sends hormones like adrenaline and cortisol skyrocketing, which can put undue stress on blood vessels.” Not to worry: Just breathing deeply is study-proven to rapidly decrease stress on you and your blood

Upping your intake of E with sunflower seeds!

Snacking on 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds every day can slash your odds of having a stroke 29% in two weeks, a recent Tufts University study found. The seeds are chock-full of two essential forms of vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols), which team up to lower inflammation in your

brain’s blood vessels.

Healing your arteries with just enough Zzzs!

Harvard research shows that logging at least seven hours of sleep—but not more than eight— is essential for reining in your stroke risk. “Sleeping longer may suggest you aren’t getting enough deep sleep, which is critical to arterial repair,” says Schoffro Cook. That’s because deep sleep helps regulate the artery- damaging stress hormone cortisol. Prone to oversleeping? Ask your doctor to rule out any underlying conditions, such as sleep apnea, which may be to blame.

Eating potassium-rich tomato sauce!

Tomato sauce is loaded with potassium (1 cup has 900 mg.), and a diet rich in potassium can lower your stroke risk 20%. How? “Potassium reduces the effects of dietary sodium by helping to regulate blood pressure, a risk factor for stroke,” says nutritionist Maya Feller, R.D. Tip: Adding a little olive oil to your sauce increases its strokepreventing effects. “Olive oil helps quell inflammation in the blood vessels that could otherwise lead to stroke,” says Schoffro Cook, author of Weekend Wonder Detox. In fact, a new study of adults age 65 and older found that regularly using olive oil in place of other fats sent their stroke risk plunging 40%!