Heart disease is a leading cause of death, but it’s not inevitable. While you can’t change some risk factors such as family history, sex or age, there are plenty of ways you can reduce your risk of heart disease.
Get started with these tips for boosting your heart health:
1. Get a heart health check
When someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly of heart disease, people will often say “but they exercised regularly, didn’t smoke and ate well”.
But some of the main risk factors for heart disease – including high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol are things you need to have checked by a doctor.
If you’re aged 45 years or older and do not already have heart disease having a heart health check by your GP. A heart health check combines information on your risk factors and estimates how likely you are to develop heart disease in the next five years.
Your GP can use this information to identify whether you need to make lifestyle changes, and whether you would benefit from preventive medications to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Blood pressure- and cholesterol-lowering medications each lower the risk of developing heart disease by around 25 percent. So if they’re recommended for you, using them long-term is an effective way to reduce your risk.
However, a study using data from 2012 found around 76 percent of Australians aged 45 to 74 years at high risk of a first-time heart attack or stroke weren’t using these life-saving treatments.
Diabetes is another important cause of heart disease. Your GP will be able to guide you about whether or not you need a check for diabetes.
If you have diabetes, your GP will help to ensure it’s managed well, to reduce your risk of heart disease.
2. Quit smoking
Smoking damages blood vessels and contributes to the underlying processes that lead to heart disease. People who are current smokers are around two times as likely to have a heart attack or stroke than people who have never smoked.
One of the best things you can do for your heart is to stop smoking or using smokeless tobacco. Even if you’re not a smoker, be sure to avoid secondhand smoke.
Chemicals in tobacco can damage the heart and blood vessels. Cigarette smoke reduces the oxygen in the blood, which increases blood pressure and heart rate because the heart has to work harder to supply enough oxygen to the body and brain.
There’s good news though. The risk of heart disease starts to drop in as little as a day after quitting. After a year without cigarettes, the risk of heart disease drops to about half that of a smoker. No matter how long or how much you smoked, you’ll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit.
3. Improve your nutrition
Poor diet, excess weight and obesity are leading causes of heart disease. However, many popular diets are not supported by science.
A healthy diet is important for heart health. For most people, small changes to your diet, such as increasing your intake of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains and reducing salt intake, can have large benefits.
A healthy diet can help protect the heart, improve blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. A heart-healthy eating plan includes: Vegetables and fruits, Beans or other legumes, Lean meats and fish, Low-fat or fat-free dairy foods, Whole grains, Healthy fats, such as olive oil
Two examples of heart-healthy food plans include the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan and the Mediterranean diet.
4. Cut your salt
Randomised trials of salt reduction show clear effects on reducing blood pressure, a leading contributor to heart disease.
To reduce your salt intake, you can try reducing the amount of processed foods you eat and cutting down on the amount of salt you add to your food.
Salt substitutes, although not widely available on supermarket shelves, can also play a role. Salt is made up of sodium chloride; salt substitutes involve replacing a portion of the sodium chloride with potassium chloride which acts to lower blood pressure.
5. Get moving
Physical activity, in addition to being good for the waistline, helps improve cardiac functioning. Studies have linked regular exercise with a lower risk of having a heart attack.
recommend adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days, but even smaller amounts are beneficial. Any kind of movement is good, so if you are just starting out, choose an activity you like and get moving.
Finally, Get good quality sleep
People who don’t get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression.
Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. Make sleep a priority in your life. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it by going to bed and waking up at the same times each day. Keep your bedroom dark and quiet, so it’s easier to sleep.
If you feel like you’ve been getting enough sleep but you’re still tired throughout the day, ask your health care provider if you need to be evaluated for obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that can increase your risk of heart disease. Signs of obstructive sleep apnea include loud snoring, stopping breathing for short times during sleep and waking up gasping for air. Treatments for obstructive sleep apnea may include losing weight if you’re overweight or using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device that keeps your airway open while you sleep.
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