Your heart is very important. It delivers oxygen, pumps blood, and provides nutrients to your cells. If your cardiovascular health deteriorates, it can cause various heart diseases which in turn can affect your overall health and even lead to heart failure. The unhealthier your heart is, the less is your blood flow. If you do not take care of your heart, you are more likely to experience shortness of breath, chest pains (angina), and tiredness.
In multiple studies, health experts have found that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of death worldwide. But you can always make a healthy change in your lifestyle to remain fit and boost your strength. Walk through the tips mentioned below for taking care of your heart and cardiovascular health.
- Cardiovascular Fitness
It is a fact that exercise is extremely significant for our physical and mental health. But what is cardiovascular fitness and how does it keep our heart from developing diseases and getting weaker?
Aerobic exercise can raise your level of cardiovascular endurance which is a measure of how well the heart and muscles perform during moderate to high-intensity exercise. Having high levels of cardiovascular endurance lessen the risks of heart diseases, stroke, obesity, and diabetes.
Exercising regularly will remarkably enhance your immune system which will protect you from catching viral illnesses such as flu and cold. “A large body of evidence suggests that multiple mechanisms converge to enhance the ability of the coronary circulation to deliver a greater supply of oxygen to the conditioned myocardium during exercise”, say researchers at Institute of Molecular Cardiology, Louisville.
- Nutritious Diet
Very often you will hear your elders emphasize on the benefits of a healthy diet. An unbalanced diet not only weakens your metabolism but can also lead to heart diseases and stroke.
In a report by the World Heart Federation, scholars in the field indicate that “the optimal dietary pattern to reduce cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is one that emphasizes whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, poultry and moderate dairy and heart-healthy vegetable oil in-take; this pattern will likely reduce the CVD risk by about a third”.
Thus if you really want to take good care of your heart, avoid eating processed and junk foods. Instead of drinking sweetened beverages when thirsty, increase your water consumption. Keeping yourself hydrated will make your heart’s pumping job easier.
- Laugh out Loud
Want to keep your heart healthy? Laugh. Sounds interesting? Well, multiple studies on the subject have shown that laughing can benefit your heart considerably.
A hearty laugh can actually minimize stress, physical tension, and will keep your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes. Laughter has the capability to decrease stress hormones in the body and boost immunity by increasing infection-fighting antibodies. A strong immune system will stop disease-causing germs like parasites and bacteria from entering the body.
Moreover, when you laugh, your body naturally releases endorphins which gives you a feeling of relief and notably boosts your mood.
- Smoking Kills
We all know that smoking is not healthy and can damage us in serious ways. So how does it harm your heart?
When we inhale smoke from a cigarette, the blood that our heart pumps around the body gets contaminated with the chemicals that the smoke contains such as nicotine and hydrogen cyanide. These chemicals narrow the arteries and hardens the arterial walls, leading to cardiovascular diseases or even death.
To improve your cardiovascular health, you must quit smoking.
- Stop Excessive Drinking
Drinking is not a healthy habit at all. Consuming excessive alcohol can lead to high blood pressure and heart failure. It can also cause a heart condition called cardiomyopathy which affects your heart muscles.
Additionally, drinking alcohol can contribute to obesity, cancer, and liver diseases. So it’s not only your heart that is being damaged. If you really feel the need to drink, try and stick to moderate levels.
Do you drink too much and feel fatigued or experience shortness of breath? It’s high time you realize that high alcohol in-take is damaging your heart. Take care of your cardiovascular health before it gets too late.
- Overweight is not Healthy
Obesity can lead to heart diseases in three ways. Firstly, it lowers high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol which is extremely important for minimizing the risk of heart diseases and stroke and for removing bad cholesterol.
Secondly, obesity leads to high blood pressure which is a common cause of heart attack in obese individuals. Lastly, obesity can cause diabetes which damages blood vessels and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
So if you are overweight and someone gives you genuine advice on how to lose weight, take no offence. It’s only to improve your heart health.
- Reduce Stress
Stress is not good for anyone, anyway. Various studies suggest that long-term stress raises cortisol levels which as a result increases blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides. These factors notably contribute to heart diseases.
Not only can this lead to anxiety disorders and depression, but even a minimal amount of stress triggers your heart’s pumping ability leading to poor blood and oxygen flow.
Long-term stress or anxiety can even lead to death by cardiac arrest. Thus it is really important for you to manage stress in order to protect your heart from intense diseases. Try therapy or mind exercises to feel better and to reduce stress level.
- Adequate Amount of Sleep
A good night’s rest will not only improve your day-time function but boost your immune system and keep you energized. Irregular sleeping patterns or lack of sleep can lead to sleeping disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea.
Such sleeping disorders can maximize the risk of heart attacks and increase your blood pressure as well as stress level. Sleep research suggests that adults need 7-9 hours of sleep every day to keep a good heart health.
Hence, sleeping will help you take care of your heart and increase your strength to fight off diseases and viral illnesses. In this Sleeping Duck Mattress Review, you will find remarkable guidelines that will help you understand how a good mattress can contribute to better sleep quality.
Keeping your heart healthy will help you slower down the natural ageing process as well. So don’t forget to laugh, sleep well, and eat healthy food. Go to a doctor to make sure that your cardiovascular system is working fine. Last but not the least, try not to take stress when conflicts arise. Stress is unhealthy.