Every year, almost 610,000 Americans have a first-time stroke, and for around 87% of them it's an ischemic stroke, in which a blood clot or plaque in the arteries blocks blood flow to the brain.

Surprisingly, about a third of people hospitalized for stroke are younger than 65.

Family history and genetics can play a role, but stress, anxiety, and depression are also risk factors for stroke. So are sleep apnea, kidney disease, migraines, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, regularly sleeping more than 9 hours a day, and using illegal drugs such as cocaine.

If you have any of those stroke risks, act today to prevent it from happening to you. Here’s what you need to do:

• Lower blood pressure with medication and lifestyle changes.

• Achieve a healthier weight.

• Exercise with at least moderate intensity three days a week and do strength-training twice weekly.

• Drink alcohol in moderation or not at all, and quit smoking and taking medications, supplements, and recreational drugs not prescribed by your doctor.

• Tell your doctor if you experience an irregular heartbeat and treat atrial fibrillation.

• Control or reverse Type 2 diabetes.

GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Ozempic reduce the risk of stroke and improve recovery according to three studies presented at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery's 22nd Annual Meeting.

Ask your doctor to evaluate your stroke risk and explore the many ways you can reduce those risks.