We may not think much about it throughout the day, but our heart works for us 24 hours a day. The heart is the most important muscle in our body because it pumps blood and oxygen to all our organs. To live our best life, taking care of our heart is important. Instead of undertaking a huge makeover, we might be able to improve our heart’s health with a series of small changes.
Here are some tips to improve Heart Health:
1. Move More : Physical activity is key to staying healthy in the long run. It strengthens our hearts and lowers our blood pressure. It also lowers our risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and many other health problems. So the primary way to keep our hearts healthy is to get up and move around. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.
2. Eat Healthy : How much we eat is just as important as what we eat. Overloading our plate, eating too fast, and eating until we feel stuffed can lead to eating more calories than we need, which will not only impact our waistline but also our heart.
3. Alternate Health Checkups : Arranging and executing a regular Cardiac health check-up can forestall the diseases from spreading. So, it is critical to go for yearly or monthly preventive tests to build the chances for treatment and cure. It is said that “prevention is better than cure.” With modern lifestyle problems, this term cannot be more relevant. So maintaining our blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and many more are important for good heart health. Take steps to reach and maintain those levels.
4. Quit Bad Habits : Prolonged alcohol consumption weakens our heart muscle, which increases atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy risks. Smoking is one of the most unhealthy heart habits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking causes approximately one out of four cardiovascular deaths. Chemicals in tobacco smoke thicken the blood and inflame blood vessels, constricting them and reducing blood flow.
5. Regular Exercise : One of the very best gifts we can give to our heart is physical activity. It’s one of our most effective tools for strengthening the heart muscle, keeping our weight under control and warding off the artery damage from high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure that can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Doing exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, or at least five days a week, is ideal for each heart.
6. Manage Stress : A sunny outlook can be good for our heart and our mood. Chronic stress, anxiety, and anger can increase our risk of heart disease and stroke, according to major studies. Maintaining a positive outlook on life may help us to stay healthy.
7. The Power of Sleep : We’ve all done it-skipping sleep for late-night parties, work or for some other needs. However, before we make it a regular habit, consider this: Research suggests that people who sleep less than six hours a day have a 48% increased risk of heart disease.
Most Common Heart Diseases
Basic knowledge of these common heart diseases can help us to avoid heart health problems in the future:-
- Heart Attack: A heart attack is a medical emergency. A heart attack usually occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the heart. Without blood, tissue loses oxygen and dies.
- Stroke: Stroke is considered as a heart disease because the condition centers around blood flow. However, a stroke is due to problems with blood flow to the brain rather than the heart.
- Heart failure: The term used to describe a heart that cannot keep up with its workload. The body may not get the oxygen it needs. Heart failure is a serious condition, and usually, there’s no cure. But many people with heart failure lead a full, enjoyable life when the condition is managed with heart failure medications and healthy lifestyle changes.
- Arrhythmia: It is the Improper beating of the heart, whether irregular, too fast or too slow. While most arrhythmias are harmless, some can be serious or even life threatening. When a heartbeat is too fast, too slow or irregular, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body.
Let’s Do Our Part by Care Our Heart
A healthy diet and lifestyle are essential to maintaining a healthy heart. Alternative treatments and lifestyle changes can improve our heart health and reduce our risk of a heart attack. But it’s important to ensure that lifestyle changes don’t interfere with medications we may be taking. So we should always consult a doctor after our cardiac checkups.
MAcare will provide Cardiac Health Checkup including 10 tests like:-
- Physical Screening
- FBS/PPBS
- Complete Blood Count
- Urine Analysis
- Lipid Profile
- Liver Function Test
- Chest X-Ray
- ECG
- ECHO/TMT
- Dental Screening
- Doctor consultation
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