February is American Heart Month, so what better time to get to know your heart health. Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States?
The good news is that heart disease is preventable in most cases with healthy choices, which include maintaining a healthy weight, choosing a healthy eating plan, being physically active, managing stress, not smoking, getting quality sleep and regular checkups.
No matter what your age, everyone can benefit from incorporating healthy choices into their lifestyle.
Maintain a healthy weight. This is not always an easy task, but it’s well worth it. Being overweight puts more strain on your heart and its job to pump blood throughout your body. Essentially, you’re forcing it to work overtime. Achieving a healthy weight allows your body to circulate the blood more efficiently and reduces your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, etc.
Choose a healthy eating plan. The food you eat can decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke. Eating a variety of nutritious foods rich in vitamins and minerals helps with your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure. Choose foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium. As a part of a healthy diet, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains, fish, nuts, legumes and seeds. Select lower fat dairy products and poultry. Limit sugar-sweetened beverages, alcohol and red meat.
Be physically active. It’s recommended that you get at least 2½ hours (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (e.g., brisk walking) every week or 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity (e.g., jogging, running) or a combination of both every week.
Manage stress. Stress can contribute to high blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors. Learning how to manage stress and cope with problems can improve not only your physical health, but mental health too. Effective ways to reduce stress would be talking with someone (counselor, family, friends) about your stress inducers, practicing meditation and relaxation techniques, being physically active or participating in a stress management program.
Quit smoking. Smoking can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke and worsen other heart disease related factors. Quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke can help reverse heart and blood vessel damage and reduce various heart disease risks. Quitting can be hard, but it is possible. Talk with your medical provider to see what strategies, programs, and medicines are available for you.
Get enough sleep. Over time, not getting enough quality sleep, called sleep deficiency, can raise your risk of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. Sleep helps heal and repair your heart and blood vessels.
Get regular checkups. Two of the major risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. If either of these numbers is high, work with your medical provider to get it to a healthy range and get regular checkups to stay in the know with your heart health.
High blood pressure- If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage your heart and your blood vessels and lead to plaque buildup.
High blood cholesterol- Is a condition in which your blood has unhealthy levels of cholesterol—a waxy, fat-like substance.
Devoting a little time every day to care for yourself can go a long way toward protecting your heart health.
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At Touchette, our Cardiology Services gives you direct access to cutting-edge diagnostic technology. The team of caring medical specialists can diagnose and treat any heart condition that may be affecting your health. About 655,000 Americans die of heart disease each year - that’s an average of 1 in every 4 deaths. Don’t let this be you, take control of your heart health and if needed, let us help. Through our testing, we can identify any health problems associated with your heart to provide care for a variety of conditions. Learn more about our cardiology services here.
