Practicing a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle for American Heart Month
With Valentine’s Day decor adorning most stores, February has arrived. While conversation hearts are sweet, American Heart Month is the perfect time to discuss your real heart and how to maintain its health!
High blood pressure, arrhythmia, heart disease, heart attacks, and high cholesterol – these are just a few of the issues that can arise without taking the steps for proper heart health.
Lucky for you, there are many things you can do today to help prevent issues down the road. Living a “heart-healthy life” can start today!
Get enough sleep
Sleep is crucial to all body functions, but notably important to your heart. Lack of proper sleep can be attributed to many diseases, especially heart disease. Insufficient sleep, defined as less than 7 hours, can affect the functionality of your heart, not giving the muscle appropriate time to rest. Sleep disorders can also be attributed to cardiovascular issues.
Eat well
You’ve probably heard of a “heart-healthy diet,” either from nutrition programs in school or from your doctor’s office. The main goal of a heart-healthy diet is to reduce sodium and fat intake. The recommended protocol for a diet your heart will thank you for consists of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, choosing whole grains, and limiting your intake of salt, unhealthy fats, and excess sugar.
Maintain a healthy weight
Related to a heart-healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight is also crucial to minimizing your risk of heart disease. This means appropriately gaining weight if you’re underweight, and healthily losing weight if you’re overweight. Some tips to help maintain a healthy weight include watching your portion size, being cognizant of your sugar intake, and finding what exercises work best for you.
Get active
Speaking of exercise, getting active is a crucial part of your heart-healthy lifestyle. Alongside the physical benefits of exercise, studies show that physical activity benefits your mental health and well-being as a whole. While the American Heart Association recommends muscle-strengthening activities, if you’re unable to exert strength, exercise as simple as a daily walk will greatly benefit your heart health.
Stop smoking
Saving the most obvious step for last, the number one thing you can do today to help your heart health is to quit smoking. Smoking causes extreme stress on your heart, lungs, and cardiovascular system as a whole. While cessation is difficult, the best thing you can do to ensure a healthy heart is to quit today. If you need help with quitting, speak with a healthcare professional or loved one about your concerns.
If you are concerned about your heart at this current moment, you can ask your doctor about these tests to address your risk of heart disease.
Genetic Testing for Heart Attack Risk
This is a simple blood test to help detect the risk of heart attack within your DNA.
Vascular Ultrasound Screening
This is a non-invasive test where doctors use a sonogram (the same technology used for pregnancy!) to detect the presence of blocked arteries in your heart.
Coronary Artery Calcium Scanning
A heart scan is another non-invasive test where a CT scan is conducted to detect calcium buildup in the coronary arteries.
Advanced Lipid Laboratory Testing
This test is a more advanced version of cholesterol testing to provide more in-depth information about your blood lipid levels.
Ambulatory 24-hour Blood Pressure Monitoring
This test evaluates and diagnoses hypertension. A small and portable automated cuff will measure your blood pressure for 24 hours, allowing doctors to get a full picture of your blood pressure.
Your heart will thank you for regular checkups at the doctor and having candid conversations with both your family and your healthcare team. Happy American Heart Month!
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