Things of the Healthy heart
February is heart awareness month. The heart is such an important muscle that we should discuss how to protect and nourish it.
The heart is a muscular organ about a fist’s size, located just behind and slightly left of the breastbone. The heart pumps blood through the arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.
Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day and about 35 million times in a year. During an average lifetime, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times.
Heart Disease Risk Factors
Heart disease is a significant cause of disability and is the leading cause of death in the United States. Certain risk factors make your heart more predisposed to illness and damage.
Some risk factors cannot be changed and are not under your control. What are these risk factors?
- Age: the older you get, the more this plays a role.
- Sex: women tend to be somewhat protected by female hormones.
- Race: Blacks have a higher risk than do Hispanics.
- Family History: you cannot change history, so if you have a close family member who has or had heart disease at an early age, you are more prone to being affected.
What can I do to lower my risk of heart disease?
Fortunately, there are risk factors that you can change to reduce your chances of getting heart disease:
- Control your blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. You must monitor your blood pressure and get it checked periodically. At least once a year for most adults, more often if you have a history of elevated blood pressure. You can help reduce your blood pressure by maintaining your weight and following a healthy lifestyle.
- Keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels under control. High levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (lipids) can cause blockages and clog your arteries. High lipid levels can raise your risk of coronary artery disease and heart attack. Lifestyle changes and certain medications (if needed) can lower your cholesterol.
- Stay at a healthy weight. Obesity increases your risk of heart disease. Obesity is on the rise in the Americas and especially in Latinos. Obesity is linked to other heart disease and risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Controlling your weight is especially important! It is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.
- Eat a healthy diet. Limit saturated fats foods high in sodium and added sugar in your diet. Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. An example of an eating plan that can help lower your blood pressure the DASH diet.
- Exercise. Exercise helps to strengthen your heart and improve your circulation. It enables you to maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and maintain blood pressure. It also is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.
- Limit alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption raises your blood pressure. It also contains a large number of calories that can increase your weight. Alcohol use also can cause many other detrimental health problems.
- Don’t smoke. Tobacco use is a major risk factor for cardiac diseases, pulmonary diseases, and cancers. Cigarette smoking raises your blood pressure and increases your chance of heart attack and strokes. If you smoke, quitting will lower your risk for heart disease.
- Stress. Stress is linked to heart disease. It can raise your blood pressure. Extreme stress can be a trigger for a heart attack. Unfortunately, many individuals cope with stress with overeating, heavy drinking, drug use, and smoking. These are detrimental to your health—better ways to cope with stress are exercise and meditation.
- Manage diabetes. Diabetes doubles your risk of diabetic heart disease. Uncontrolled diabetes, over time, damages your blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart and blood vessels. Get tested for diabetes periodically. If you have diabetes, work diligently to keep it under control.
- Make sure that you get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep raises your risk of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. All of these three can increase your risk of heart disease. An example of sleep problems is sleep apnea, which interferes with your ability to get adequate rest and raises your heart disease risk. If you believe you have sleep problems, discuss them with your medical provider.
Please be healthy and safe.
