Wondering how to keep your heart healthy? You already know that exercise and a healthy diet help maintain your heart in excellent shape. But, aside from that, what else can you do to keep your ticker ticking?
If you include these behaviors into your daily routine, your heart health will be at its finest.
Consume Healthy fats, not trans fats. Fats, including saturated, polyunsaturated, and unsaturated fats, are essential in our diet. One fat we don’t need is trans fat, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke over time. This is due to the fact that trans fat clogs your arteries by raising your bad cholesterol (LDL) and lowering your good cholesterol (HDL) (HDL). You can enhance blood flow throughout your body by eliminating them from your diet. What exactly are trans fats? They are industrially manufactured fats that are commonly used to give flavor and texture to packaged baked products, snack foods, margarines, and fried fast food.
Maintain appropriate dental care, including flossing your teeth on a daily basis. Because patients with periodontal (gum) disease generally have the same risk factors for heart disease, dental health is an excellent indicator of overall health, including heart health. Many studies have demonstrated that bacteria in the mouth that contribute to the development of gum disease can enter the bloodstream and produce an increase in C-reactive protein, a marker for blood vessel inflammation. As a result of these changes, you may be at a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
Make sure you get enough rest. Sleep is crucial to maintaining your heart’s health. You may be at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease if you don’t get enough sleep, regardless of your age or other health practises. Those who slept less than six hours per night were about twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack as those who slept six to eight hours per night, according to a study of 3,000 adults over the age of 45. Sleep deprivation, according to researchers, disrupts underlying health issues and biological processes, such as blood pressure and inflammation.
Don’t sit for more than a few minutes at a time. In recent years, research has revealed that sitting for lengthy periods of time, regardless of how much activity you get, is harmful for your health. This is bad news for the many people who spend their days sitting at a desk. When researchers looked at the combined data of numerous observational studies including over 800,000 people, they discovered that those who sat the most had a 147 percent increased risk of cardiovascular events and a 90 percent increased risk of death from these events. Furthermore, sitting for lengthy periods of time (particularly when travelling) raises your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot).
Secondhand smoke should be avoided at all costs. People who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work have a 25 to 30 percent higher chance of getting heart disease, according to studies. Tobacco smoke causes roughly 34,000 premature heart disease fatalities and 7,300 lung cancer deaths per year, according to the American Heart Association. When nonsmokers with high blood pressure or cholesterol are exposed to secondhand smoke, they are at an even higher risk of getting heart disease. This is due to the chemicals released by cigarette smoking, which encourage plaque accumulation in the arteries.