For decades, heart disease has been the cause of so many premature deaths. Even though you think you are living a healthy lifestyle, are you really taking care of your heart? Experts warn about habits that can lead to a heart attack. The following 7 habits can have repercussions on your heart.
The following 7 habits can have repercussions on your heart
1. Not checking Blood Pressure
Is your blood pressure within a normal range? Are you keeping a check on it? It could be higher than you believe. The American Heart Association reduced the healthy blood pressure standards for adults from 140/90 (and 150/80 for those over 65) to 130/80 in 2018. According to Harvard Medical School, this means that 70 to 79 percent of males over the age of 55 are technically hypertensive. This can weaken the walls of blood arteries over time, increasing your risk of stroke, heart attack, and dementia.
2. Being ignorant about your cholesterol level
As we get older, our bodies manufacture more cholesterol, which can pile up in our arteries and increase our risk of heart disease and stroke. Most of us think we are healthy enough and tend to ignore keeping a check on our cholesterol. Well, if you haven’t checked it already, you should start now. Menopause increases LDL (“bad”) cholesterol to rise and HDL (“good”) cholesterol to fall in women. Experts recommend getting your cholesterol evaluated every five years, but elderly people may require it more frequently. Your total cholesterol level should be less than 200 mg/dL, with an LDL level of less than 100 mg/dL and an HDL level of 60 mg/dL or higher.
3. Eating too much saturated fat
Fats are certainly good for our body, however, excess saturated fats can hurt your heart. According to the American Heart Association, eating meals high in saturated fat elevates LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, increasing your risk of a heart attack or stroke. What foods have a high sat fat content? Red meat, skinned chicken, butter, and cheese.
4. Not working out
Working out daily can be stressful but you don’t have to go to the gym and lift heavy weights. Doing something as minimal as walking can keep your heart healthy. 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week or 75 minutes of strenuous exercise per week, with muscle-strengthening exercise twice a week. Brisk walking, dancing, or gardening are examples of moderate-intensity exercise. Running, trekking or swimming are examples of vigorous exercise. Even if you believe you won’t be able to complete the task in 150 minutes, get started regardless. Any quantity of activity is preferable to none at all for your heart.
5. Having too much sugar
Consuming too much added sugar, the sugar that manufacturers add to foods to sweeten them or extend their shelf life is not only bad for your wallet. It is also a major risk factor for heart disease. Adult men consume 24 teaspoons of sugar per day, the equivalent of 384 calories, according to the National Cancer Institute! “The effects of added sugar intake, higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease are all linked to an increased risk of a heart attack.”
6. Oversleeping
The adage “too much of a good thing” applies to one of the nicest things of all: sleep, especially as we become older. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, having more than eight hours of sleep per night can raise the risk of cardiovascular disease. Nine hours is connected with modest risk, whereas eleven hours is related to a nearly 44 percent increase!
7. Social isolation
It turns out that the lonely hearts’ club is a literal thing — and not one you want to be a part of. According to a study published in the journal Heart, feelings of loneliness and social isolation can raise a person’s chance of having a heart attack. People who reported having poor social interactions had a 29% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and a 32% higher risk of stroke than those who reported having strong friendships. Why? Loneliness, according to researchers, increases chronic stress, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
Now that you know about your day-to-day habits, we hope that you will not only take care of yourself but those around you too.