Caring for Your Heart | Quick guides for heart failure
Heart disease is a very deliberating condition for many
people around the globe. According to reports from the CDC, heart disease is
the leading killer. Some risk factors make some individuals susceptible to
heart disease. Risk factors can be either non-modifiable or modifiable. Non
modifiable factors are factors which you can control such as family history or
genetics. Modifiable factors are factors you can control, such as smoking, diet,
and body weight.
Your lifestyle choices can influence your heart health.
Lifestyle changes can help you reduce the chance of getting heart disease. Some
positive lifestyle changes that can help you care for the heart include:
1. Diet and Nutrition
Diet and nutrition can play a great role in preventing heart
conditions. Taking a perfect diet especially one low in cholesterol or high-density
lipids can reduce your risk of getting heart disease. This has also been seen
to work even for those with a family history or genetic predisposition for
heart conditions. A diet high in whole grains, raw fruits, vegetable and
omega-3 fatty acids can help prevent heart disease. A good example of a perfect
diet for your heart is the Mediterranean diet that focuses on:
- Eating fish at least 2 times a week
- Limiting intake of red meat to once or twice a month
- Eating herbs, olive oil, and nuts which have healthy fats (LDLs)
- Increasing servings of whole grains, fruits and vegetables
You also need to keep away from or
limit foods that can worsen heart disease if you are already a victim. They
include foods:
- With high amounts of sugar
- High amount of salt.
- Alcoholic beverages
- Hydrogenated fats such as margarine
Watching the amount of calories you
consume in a day is very important. You should know how many calories you take
in a day. Always go for foods high in nutrients but low in calories.
2. Quitting Smoking
The most important step you can take to lower the risk of
heart disease is quitting smoking. Smoking is believed to be one of the leading
risk factors for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Smoking can cause
buildup of fats in the arteries that cause hardening of arteries (losing their
elasticity). Smoking can also cause damage to other body organs causing your
body to work abnormally increasing your risk for heart disease or conditions.
Smoking also reduces the amount of high density lipoproteins or good
cholesterol which cause stress on the arteries.
Quitting smoking has been proven to reduce risk of heart
disease. There are positive effects experienced after quitting smoking such as
decrease in blood pressure, improved blood circulation and increase in oxygen
supply.
Such changes can improve your energy levels making physical
exercise easier. After quitting smoking, your body heals with time, reducing
the chances of getting heart disease. You should also avoid other smokers since
secondhand smoking can also affect your health.
3. Management of Diabetes
Diabetes is another leading risk factor for heart disease.
Diabetes causes harmful effects on many organs if it is left untreated.
Diabetes can cause stroke and peripheral artery disease among other
complications. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, manage the condition
well to prevent heart disease.
Prevention measures a diabetic patient can take to prevent
heart disease include:
- Regular exercise
- Taking a healthy diet
- Getting regular blood sugar checkups from your doctor
You may also need to manage diabetes with medications.
Limiting the effects of diabetes can help reduce your risk of heart disease.
4. Regular Exercise
Exercising regularly can help you maintain a healthy weight
which is vital in lowering blood pressure and preventing heart conditions.
According to recent studies, getting at least 30 minutes of physical exercise a
day is recommendable to avoid heart disease. Physical exercise does not need to
be intensive.
The main goal of exercising is to maintain a healthy weight.
You therefore need to balance the amount of exercise you perform in a day with
the number of calorie intake. You should also find out your body mass index
(BMI), which you can use to set weight loss goals.
Physical exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight,
therefore avoiding high blood pressure and heart disease.
5. Lowering Blood Pressure
Hypertension or high blood pressure can cause stress on the
cardiovascular system, contributing to heart disease development. Below are ways you can lower blood pressure:
- Managing stress
- Quitting smoking
- Low intake of salt
- Diet
- Exercise
- Weight management
- Reducing alcohol consumption
You should work closely with your doctor to help monitor
your blood pressure on a regular basis in case you are a victim of the
condition. You should also take all prescribed medications as directed. Since
it is difficult to detect high blood pressure, you should visit your doctor
whether you have it or
6. Stress Management
Stress affects everyone but in different ways. For example,
there is a link between individuals who experience high amounts of stress over
a long period of time and heart disease. Stress can also cause pain, sleep
loss, exhaustion and headaches that can cause your heart to beat harder. This
can worsen other risk factors of heart disease you may have.
You can avoid stress through:
- Adapting a stress-reducing environment
- Physical exercise
- Relaxing exercises such as yoga
- Letting go the life worries
- Spending most time with friends and family
- Having enough sleep
When to See
Cardiologist
Heart disease is easy to treat when it is detected early.
You should therefore talk to your doctor about any concerns regarding your
heart health status. If you are worried that you may develop heart disease, see
a cardiologist to get steps that you can take to reduce heart disease risk.
This is very important for you especially when you have a family history of
heart disease. If you think you have symptoms or signs related to heart
disease, you should make an appointment to see a cardiologist. Such symptoms
include;
- Chest pain
- Fainting
- Breath shortness
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