Your heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body and delivering it to the various organs needed to keep you alive and healthy. Because the heart is so crucial in regards to total body wellness, it’s important that you keep your heart as healthy as possible.
What Causes an Unhealthy Heart?
An unhealthy heart can take many forms. The following conditions can contribute to heart disease:
? Arteriosclerosis: This form of heart disease occurs when the arteries become thick with plaque made from cholesterol and fat deposits. This plaque attaches itself to the walls of the arteries, causing them to harden and become less flexible.
Atherosclerosis: Atherosclerosis occurs when fat deposits within the arteries cause them to narrow, reducing the amount of blood that reaches the heart.
Angina: Angina is another term for chest pain and indicates the heart is not getting enough blood. There are several forms of angina – stable, which is the most common and goes away after a few minutes; unstable, which is the most dangerous and does not cease with rest. It is often followed by a heart attack. Variant angina is rare, occurs when a person is resting, but is relieved with medicine.
Heart Attack. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot or other form of blockage completely cuts off the supply of blood to a part of the heart. This is a life-threatening event that should be treated immediately.
What Can I Do to Keep My Heart Healthy?
Some factors, such as genetics, race, and gender are out of your hands. Typically, those with a family history of heart disease, African Americans, and men are all more likely to develop heart disease or failure within their lifetimes.
Regardless of this, there are a number of factors that can influence the health of your heart and help counteract the risk factors you have no control over:
Diet. A diet that is high in fat and cholesterol can lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, two large factors in the development of heart disease. Eating a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, protein, and whole grains can reduce the likelihood of developing the conditions that can lead to heart failure. Avoiding a diet that consists of a great deal of red meat and foods high in trans fat will also reduce a person’s risk.
Exercise. A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to weight gain and obesity, a contributing factor in the onset of heart disease. Excess weight causes the heart to constantly work harder than normal to pump blood throughout the body. Regular exercise can not only help maintain a healthy weight, but also curb the onslaught of high blood pressure and other factors that lead to heart disease.
Smoking. The link between smoking and heart disease is indisputable – a smoker’s chance of developing heart disease is up to four times greater than that of a nonsmoker. Chemicals in nicotine also reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood, thereby reducing oxygen needed by the heart.
Alcohol consumption. A high level of alcohol consumption has been linked to heart disease and high blood pressure. Aim for no more than two drinks a day as an absolute maximum.
Stress. Too much stress has been linked to higher blood pressure, chest pains, and heart attack. In addition, many people turn to unhealthy measures that can lead to heart disease in order to deal with stress. This can include eating for comfort, which leads to weight gain, smoking, or too much drinking, all lifestyle factors that can lead to heart disease.
A healthy heart is in your control! In order to keep your heart beating strong, it’s important to recognize what factors contribute to heart health and then practice them.