Although heart disease is one of the primary causes of death, it is not unavoidable. While some risk factors, such as family history, sex, or age, are unavoidable, there are numerous strategies to lower your risk of heart disease.
It is critical to raise awareness and promote lifestyle modifications that can help avoid heart disease. In addition, excellent health practices should be fostered early in life to keep heart disease at bay and prevent it.
According to Mayoclinic, get started with these five pointers for improving your heart health:
1. Don’t smoke or use tobacco
Stopping smoking or using smokeless tobacco is one of the healthiest things you can do for your heart. Even if you don’t smoke, stay away from secondhand smoke.
Tobacco contains chemicals that can harm the heart and blood vessels. Because the heart needs to work harder to give enough oxygen to the body and brain, cigarette smoke lowers oxygen levels in the blood, raising blood pressure and heart rate.
2. Exercise
Physical activity daily can help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Physical activity aids with weight management. It also lowers the risk of acquiring other heart-related illnesses, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.
3. Get good quality sleep
Obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes, and depression are all increased in people who don’t get enough sleep.
The average adult needs at least seven hours of sleep per night. Make sleep a top priority in your daily routine. Set a sleep pattern and adhere to it every day by going to bed and waking up at the same time. To make sleeping easier, keep your bedroom dark and quiet.
4. Keep a healthy weight.
Obesity, particularly around the midsection of the body, raises the risk of heart disease. Excess weight can lead to illnesses including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes, all of which raise the risk of heart disease.
5. Eat a heart-healthy diet
A balanced diet can help protect the heart, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and improve blood pressure and cholesterol. The following foods are included in a heart-healthy diet plan:
1. Fruits and vegetables
2. legumes (beans and other legumes)
3. Fish and lean meats
4. Dairy products that are low in fat or fat-free
5. Consume whole grains
6. Olive oil and other healthy fats
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