Healthy Heart, Healthy Life
The heart is the workhorse of the body, beating over 100,000 times and pumping around 2,000 gallons of blood a day. Unfortunately, it often gets into a state of disrepair— cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for both males and females in the United States. So if you’re looking to prioritize your well-being, add improving your cardiac health to your to-do list. By making smart choices, you can help keep your heart strong both this year and for years to come.
What can hurt your heart?
Putting off appointments
A surprisingly large number of Americans avoid, delay, or even forget their doctor’s appointments. However, you should stay on top of your annual physicals because they allow a physician to listen to your heart and run tests to make sure it’s functioning properly. In addition, heart disease risk factors increase as you approach middle age, necessitating further testing.
Disregarding your meds
Along the same lines, taking your prescribed medicines every day as recommended is vital, especially when it comes to your heart health. To help ensure that you do, invest a few bucks in a pill box, which makes organizing and remembering your meds incredibly easy.
Smoking
Cigarette use is tied directly to cardiovascular disease. The chemicals inhaled cause damage to blood vessels, which can lead to greater plaque buildup in the arteries, even for those who breathe only secondhand smoke. So if smoking is a habit of yours, vow to kick it starting today. There are numerous resources and support services available to help.
Overimbibing
While alcohol in moderation is considered acceptable in some health circles, there is still debate about whether even small amounts are dangerous. Too much of it, though, is undoubtedly harmful; it can not only damage your liver but also elevate your cholesterol, insulin levels, and blood pressure, all of which are directly tied to heart issues. (More on those later.)
Losing sleep
Everyone loves a good night’s sleep, and so does your heart since dozing allows the organ to repair itself. Even still, people frequently don’t get the recommended seven hours minimum nightly, which can impact their hormone levels. This, in turn, can create a domino effect of eating more and feeling greater stress, ultimately contributing to poor heart health.
In addition, sleep deprivation and sleep apnea—an issue that disrupts both sleep and breathing—have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The most effective way to get more shut-eye? Establish a sleep routine, and avoid devices, meals, and caffeinated or sugary drinks (and even excess water) a couple hours before bedtime.
Stressing out
Between dealing with work, bills, traffic, and even other people, stress is an unavoidable part of life. The key is to manage it—if you don’t, it can lead to not only high blood pressure but also the aforementioned loss of sleep and unhealthy coping mechanisms like smoking and excess drinking. Instead, try better alternatives such as breathing techniques and meditation.
How to help your heart
Know your family history
Did your grandmother have type 2 diabetes? Does your father have high blood pressure? If so, then you are more likely to eventually have heart problems yourself. Although you can’t do anything about genetics, you can take steps to mitigate their impact on your health.
Remember your ABCs (and D)
A common mnemonic used for heart health in the medical field, the ABCs stand for aspirin, blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking (as discussed previously). Regarding the first, taking aspirin daily may help those who have had strokes or are at high risk for cardiovascular disease; however, check with your doctor first about whether it’s a safe regimen for you.
Meanwhile, blood pressure and cholesterol numbers are some of the most important ones to monitor since there are often no symptoms when either is high. Make sure to get these checked routinely—your blood pressure at every annual visit and cholesterol at least every four or five years. And because the former is the top risk factor for both heart attack and stroke, stay on top of yours by consuming less sodium and possibly even buying an at-home blood pressure machine.
A final note: if there were a D here, it would be diabetes. Elevated blood glucose levels can lead to heart disease, so ask your doctor about your fasting glucose and A1c when you discuss the ABCs.
Watch your weight
This makes sense on the simplest level: carrying additional fat means that your heart must work harder every day. Pay particular attention to your waist since extra fat here can be more harmful. Waist circumferences of over 40 inches for men and over 35 inches for women have been shown to increase the chances of heart disease. In addition to monitoring your numbers, make sure to stay active and follow a healthy diet.
Skip the salt, sugar, and saturated fats
Start by minimizing processed foods, which can contain high amounts of salt, sugar, and unhealthy additives. Also cut back on red meats, fried foods, and pastries since they are usually loaded with saturated fats and thus raise artery-clogging LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. While shopping for food, opt for leafy greens and other veggies, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins and keep an eye out for the Heart-Check mark; this verifies that the product meets the American Heart Association’s requirements for being heart healthy.
Move more
A beneficial amount of activity doesn’t require a full-fledged workout every day. Experts recommend getting in at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, plus two muscle-building exercises if possible. The upsides are clear: the more you get your blood pumping, the more likely your arteries will remain wide and flexible to avoid plaque buildup and the stronger your heart will be.
There’s no better time than the present to plan how you’ll prioritize your cardiac self-care. This guide lays a solid foundation for heading down the path to a healthier lifestyle, but also be sure to talk to your doctor, who can give you individualized advice for improving your heart health.