11 Tips to Reduce Your Risk of an Aneurysm
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11 Tips to Help Reduce Your Aneurysm Risk

If you are wondering how to prevent an aneurysm, these lifestyle changes could be helpful.

11 Tips to Help Reduce Your Aneurysm Risk
Everyday Health
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Updated on July 2, 2025
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An aneurysm happens when arteries or blood vessels in the chest, brain, or abdomen lose strength and begin to expand. You can live with an aneurysm without knowing it, and 1 in every 50 people in the United States. may have a brain aneurysm currently.

 But when an aneurysm ruptures, it is a serious medical emergency.

How do you avoid an aneurysm? You can’t avoid all of the risk factors. But a few lifestyle adjustments may go a long way toward preventing an aneurysm.

1. Maintain a Healthy Diet

Diets high in calories and saturated and trans fats can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis (fatty deposits that clog arteries), and obesity, all risk factors for aneurysms.

If you’re looking to lower your blood pressure, consider the DASH diet, which the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommends for boosting heart health.

 DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, and the approach can also help reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and obesity. The diet includes:
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Whole grains
  • Fat-free or low-fat dairy products
  • Fish
  • Poultry
  • Beans
  • Nuts
  • Vegetable oils
  • Limited sodium (between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams a day)
Although there is limited research on the direct effect of dietary choices on aneurysm risk, some studies have pointed to fruit, vegetables, and nuts as helping reduce risk, while eating red meat may increase that risk.

2. Lower Your Blood Pressure

Nearly half of all U.S. adults have high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for an aneurysm.

You can monitor your blood pressure at home and make lifestyle changes to manage or lower it. These include:

  • Eating a healthy, low-sodium diet
  • Exercising regularly
  • Quitting smoking
  • Managing stress
  • Maintaining a healthy weight
  • Limiting alcohol consumption
  • Getting enough sleep each night
Make sure you take any medication for high blood pressure as prescribed, work with your doctor to overcome barriers to healthy living, and find out about community programs that may help.

3. Stop Smoking

If you smoke cigarettes, quitting is one of the most important things you can do to control your risk of an aneurysm.

A landmark study published in 1999 showed that men ages 50 and older who smoked were 9 times more likely to have an aneurysm than those who did not.

 More recently, research shows that women ages 30 to 60 who smoke have 6 times the risk of having an aneurysm than those who do not.

To help you kick the habit, consider using over-the-counter stop-smoking products, such as nicotine gum, patches, and lozenges, or ask your doctor to recommend a prescription medication and smoking cessation program.

Secondhand smoke also can damage your blood vessels. Avoid places where secondhand smoke is allowed and ask family and friends not to smoke in your home or car.

4. Keep Your Cholesterol in Check

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your body needs to build cells. But when your cholesterol level is greater than 240 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), it is considered high and can lead to complications. At least 10 percent of people in the United States ages 20 or older have high cholesterol.

Cholesterol levels between 200 and 239 mg/dL are considered borderline high. Depending on your other risk factors, your doctor may recommend that your cholesterol be treated if it falls in this range, too.

There is also a correlation between cholesterol levels and aneurysm risk. High cholesterol may increase the risk for some aneurysms for adults ages 60 and older. In addition, not having enough HDL, or “good,” cholesterol can raise your risk, too.

Fortunately, you can modify your diet to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. To lower bad cholesterol, limit saturated and trans fats.

 To help promote good cholesterol, eat more foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

If your doctor has prescribed cholesterol-lowering medication, take it as prescribed while making lifestyle changes. Research has shown that lipid-lowering medication known as statins may shrink aneurysms, slow their growth, and prevent rupturing.

5. Get Enough Exercise

A regular exercise program can address aneurysm risk factors by lowering your blood pressure and triglycerides, raising good cholesterol, and helping you lose weight.

Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, or 30 minutes over five days, each week. This also could be 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as running, in addition to muscle-strengthening activities.

Moderate exercise also may be okay if you have an aneurysm. Chances are your doctor will recommend avoiding vigorous exercise and strenuous activity, so ask about a low-impact program or exercise guidelines. Lifting weights, having sex, playing golf and tennis, and gardening may be acceptable.

A larger aneurysm, however, poses a greater risk of rupturing during exercise.

6. Take Steps to Reduce and Manage Stress

Ongoing stress and getting upset or angry can cause an aneurysm to rupture.

 Anxiety and stress can also contribute to high blood pressure and heart issues, which are aneurysm risk factors.

There are several ways to reduce stress. Some include:

  • Exercise
  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Getting enough sleep
  • Time management
  • Deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation
  • Relaxation
  • Time with family and friends
  • Taking up a hobby
  • Practicing gratitude
  • Journaling

7. Treat Sleep Apnea

If you snore or wake up tired after sleeping all night, you might have obstructive sleep apnea. Although 30 million people in the United States may have sleep apnea, 80 percent of cases are undiagnosed.

Studies have shown that uncontrolled sleep apnea could place you at higher risk for aneurysm growth and rupturing.

A doctor who suspects you have sleep apnea may order a sleep study for you, which can take place in a sleep lab or at home. Ways to address sleep apnea include:

  • Losing weight
  • Using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine
  • Oral appliances
  • Implantable devices
  • Nerve stimulation

  • Surgery, in some cases

8. Avoid Drugs

Recreational drugs should be avoided because they often damage blood vessels.

Cocaine, in particular, may lead to the formation and rupture of aneurysms.

Research also has shown that adults who have used marijuana in the past 3 to 30 days may have double the risk of a stroke called an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) after a ruptured brain aneurysm.

9. Talk to Your Doctor About a Screening

Aneurysms can run in the family. Your risk of having an aneurysm may increase if you have two or more parents, siblings, or children who have had an aneurysm.

If you have a personal or family history of aneurysms, let your doctor know and report any symptoms immediately.

There is also an association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and aortic abdominal aneurysms. If you have COPD, your doctor may recommend you have regular computerized tomography (CT) scans.

10. Know the Signs of an Aneurysm

Although aneurysms can occur without warning, it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm. These include:

  • Severe headache
  • Seizure
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Nausea
  • Confusion
  • Light sensitivity
  • Double or blurred vision

If you suspect you have a ruptured aneurysm, seek medical help immediately.

11. Stick With Your Treatment Plan

If you have been diagnosed with an aneurysm or suffered a rupture or dissection, it’s important to stay up to date on important screenings, take all medication as prescribed, and work with your doctor to lower your risk factors to avoid a recurrence.

The Takeaway

  • Aneurysms don’t always have symptoms, but a ruptured aneurysm is a medical emergency.
  • Having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart issues may increase your aneurysm risks, and they are worth addressing on their own.
  • Stopping smoking and discontinuing use of recreational drugs can greatly reduce your aneurysm risk.
  • If you have sleep apnea, ensuring that it is treated also can help prevent aneurysm complications.
  • If you have a family history of aneurysms, your doctor may screen you for risks.

Resources We Trust

Additional reporting by Tony Stasiek.

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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