World Heart Day was being celebrated on 29th September. A healthy heart is the symptom of a healthy life. But strange and alarming facts about the heart are revealed in a current study where the heart diseases have increased 10 folds in the last 2 decades. The worst part is that heart diseases are not only taking the lives of aged and old people also the number 1 killer of young adults. According to WHO( World Health Organisation), by 2030 almost 23.6 million people will die from a type of heart disease globally. This is an eye-opener for all of us. So we need to think and re-assess whether we are taking proper care of our hearts or not. So we need to know the reasons, reality, and myths about heart problems.
Symptoms that your heart is sick
The possible signs or symptoms of the heart diseases are as follows-
1) Your heart beats faster more than normal. Your heartbeat becomes irregular.
2)You also sweat along with the increased heartbeat.
3) Heart attacks/Strokes
4) Pain in chest/tightness of chest
5)Your cholesterol level is high
6)Dizziness
7)Your trouble to breathe
8)Pain on the left side of the heart which comes down to one arm. That is the most common symptom of heart disease or heart failure.
Things to keep in mind-The The symptoms can be false symptoms too. Do not mix up with heart attacks or heart failures. But never avoid proper diagnose if any of the above symptoms occur.
Reasons behind heart diseases
Let us now have a look at what are the reasons behind the cardiovascular diseases-
a)The unhealthy lifestyle-The The major problem behind heart diseases is an unhealthy lifestyle. People sleep late, eat late, wake up late, eat junk food, consume more salt, saturated fats, and carbonated drinks. The unhealthy lifestyle is the main cause of heart diseases. Lack of nutrients and anti-oxidants is also responsible for this.
b)Hereditarily reasons– The other reason is family history. If one of the brothers has heart problems, the other 2 brothers have an equal chance of heart failure too. So genetics is also the main reason for cardiovascular diseases.
c)Physical inactivity-If you are a couch potato, sitting the whole day and eating and not spending the calories you consumed, then there are chances that you may suffer from heart diseases. Lack of exercise and laziness is also the main reason for heart diseases.
d)Stress-Today’s world is full of anxiety and stress. People of all ages are suffering from stress in their lives. This stress or hypertension is also the main reason for cardiovascular diseases these days. Our heart takes too much pressure off everything and thus falls sick which results in heart diseases.
e)Improper weight management-Weight issues are also responsible for heart diseases. If you are underweight you may suffer from minor heart problems. If you are over-weight then the chances are your heart gets more cholesterol and blood pressure. Over-weight people are the main target of cardiovascular diseases.
What are the preventive measures?
Prevention is better than cure. So follow the following tips to take care of your heart which will act as a cushion to solve minor heart problems too.
a)Consume lots of fruits and vegetables- Fruits and vegetables are the main anti-oxidants needed for good health. Include a rainbow diet in your food and green leafy vegetables too. It will strengthen your immune system and heart health too. So add green veggies, fruits, nuts, sprouts, etc in your daily diet regularly.
b)Incorporate physical exercise in your routine-Try to be physically active. Do a lot of yoga, jogging, exercises, walking, etc in your daily routine. Also, practice deep breathing. Inhale good quality air. It will fill your heart with good and fresh air. So incorporate at least 60 minutes of physical exercises in your routine to get rid of heart and other physical problems.
c)Food-related changes-Try to eat healthy and fresh. Limit salt and sugar intake. Cook food with mustard oil and cold-pressed oil. Stop using refined and processed oils. Limit junk food consumption.
d)Sleep patterns-Make a proper sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time. Wake up early in the morning. When we eat late and sleep late, the stomach becomes heavy. It leads to acidity and heartburn and restlessness. It leads to insomnia. The mind too involves unnecessary thoughts. This over-thinking leads to stress on the heart and leads to heart ailments. So make a proper sleep schedule.
e)Regular check-ups- Make sure you do proper screening of the heart regularly. A list of such tests or screening is as follows.
The normal medical tests to diagnose heart conditions are as follows-
a)Electrocardiogram test-(ECG)
b)Nuclear cardiac stress test
c)Various blood tests-Various blood tests are done to measure the level of other substances in the blood i.e blood fats, vitamins, and minerals.
d)Coronary angiogram
e)Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
f)CCTA(Coronary Computed Tomography Angiogram)
So keep a proper check on your heart through these various tests regularly as a preventive measure
f)Healthy weight management- Keep a check on your weight. If you are over-weight you are more prone to heart diseases. So keep a check on your cholesterol level and other fatty elements. Take a fat-free or low-fat diet with more fibers in food.
g)Keep a check on Vitamin D level in your body-Vitamin D deficiency in your body can also lead to heart diseases. If you lack vitamin-D in the body your liver produces more cholesterol. A high level of cholesterol in the body leads to various heart diseases. So sit in the sun to make up your vitamin D deficiency. Take proper diet and supplements to cope up with the deficiency.
TWO IMPORTANT TIPS TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEART PROPERLY
1)Symptoms may be a false alarm too-As I have discussed the symptoms above, pls make sure to do a proper diagnose. The symptoms may be a false alarm also and may be due to some other health issues too not necessarily heart diseases. But make sure to take proper treatment that may lead to heart diseases too later.
2)What is good for the brain is good for heart too-Many health experts, dieticians and nutritionists believe in this theory that the heart and brain are inter-related. What is good for your brain is good for your heart too and vice versa. Either it is food, thoughts or nutrients. To enrich the brain with good thoughts, eat the right food, be positive, stay stress-free and focus on wellness activities.
Author Bio
Sunita Panwar(Neetu) is living in Noida. She did her BBA(Bachelors in Business Administration) and MBA(Finance)from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. Sunita has also studied Journalism and Mass Communications. She had been in South Africa for 5 years. Writing is her passion. Health, fitness, and nutrition always has been her areas of interest. She has been writing blogs for some magazines and websites too. Authentic and interesting topics are what you are gonna read in the near future.
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