The heart is one of the most vital organs in the human body. It pumps blood and oxygen around the body, yet, despite its importance, cardiovascular diseases remain as one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide. Millions of people each year are affected by heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure.
Heart health can be easily affected by daily habits, diets, sleep and physical activity. Hence, with the growing level of unhealthy habits in daily life, cardiovascular diseases continue to grow and low awareness makes its prevention difficult. In order to protect the health of one's body, it is important to understand what factors contribute to poor heart health, and what factors can help reduce the risk of diseases.
Risks and Impact for Poor Heart Health
One of the main reasons cardiovascular diseases are so prevalent is due to the lack of knowledge on the primary factors that cause it. For most people, heart diseases are an unexpected event, because they are not aware of what daily habits could be putting their heart at risk. While heart diseases can be genetic, it is important to cover the behavioral factors to assist with prevention.
Factors Leading to Poor Heart Health:
- Diet - Diets that are high in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol have been linked to being primary causes for health diseases. Additionally, excessive salt intake in a diet can lead to an increased blood pressure, further contributing to poor heart health.
- Physical Activity - Physical activity strengthens your heart and assists in the management of the blood pressure. Getting daily exercise is hence crucial in reducing the risk for heart diseases.
- Alcohol Consumption - Drinking excessive alcohol can raise your blood pressure, which is one of the primary causes for cardiovascular diseases. It additionally increases the amount of a fatty substance in blood, further contributing to disease development.
- Tobacco Usage - Smoking damages the heart and blood vessels, and nicotine raises blood pressure, both are severe for the health of your heart.
While some factors are genetic, many factors that contribute to poor heart health are based on lifestyle choices and environmental influence. Management of these factors is crucial in order to minimize the impacts of poor heart health.
The Symptoms of Heart Attacks and Strokes:
Poor heart health can lead to multiple diseases, the most ever of which are heart attacks and heart strokes. Often heart attacks and strokes themselves are signs for a larger cardiovascular disease, but certain symptoms exist that can act as warnings for heart attacks or strokes.
When it comes to heart attacks, any signs of discomfort in the center of your chest, or in the arms, left shoulder, elbows, jaw, or back are symptoms of a heart attack. On the other hand, for heart strokes common symptoms include weakness in the face, arm or leg. Secondary symptoms for heart strokes are:
- Numbness of the face, arm of leg, specifically on one side of your body
- Confusion and difficulty speaking or understanding speech
- Difficulty seeing with one or both of your eyes
- Difficulty walking, dizziness
- Severe headaches
- Fainting or going unconscious.
The impact of poor heart health is often severe to a person’s life, hence, maintaining a healthy heart and preventing cardiovascular diseases becomes a necessity.
Maintaining a Healthy Heart
Although cardiovascular diseases are widespread, many of the risk factors can be prevented through adoption of healthy habits. Making lifestyle choices that are informed can greatly reduce the chance of contracting heart diseases.
- Don’t Smoke Tobacco - Chemicals in tobacco can damage the heart, and smoke lowers oxygen levels in the body.
- Do Physical Activity Daily - Daily activity is crucial to manage blood pressure.
- Eat a Healthy Diet - Your diet should contain vegetables, fruit, beans, lean meat, low fat food and whole grains among others. Fatty foods should be avoided.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight - Being overweight raises blood pressure, cholesterol and other factors that can increase the risk of heart diseases. Exercise and a healthy diet are best for maintaining an ideal weight.
- Get Quality Sleep - Lack of sleep increases the risk of heart attacks. Over 7 hours is advisable for adults, and around 8-10 hours for children.
Heart health is not determined by a single factor, but by a combination of lifestyle choices. Understanding the risks and making changes in your daily life to prevent the risk of heart diseases is crucial to lead a healthy life and maintain long-term health.
Sources:
- https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/risk-factors/index.html
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000094.htm
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-disease-prevention/art-20046502