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
Source



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



These are regarded as severe symptoms of heart disease which requires emergency attention.
Location: New York, NY, USA

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