Cardiac Care: How to Keep Your Heart Healthy

The heart is the major organ of the circulatory system and helps to carry oxygenated blood and nutrients to different parts of the body and returns the deoxygenated blood back to lungs.
In India, cardiovascular diseases namely heart attacks, brain strokes and heart failure have now become one of the major causes of death attributing to approximately 25 % to 30 % of mortality. What India faces significantly is an age-standardized death rate of 272 per 1,00,000 population, which is on the higher side compared to the global average of 235 per 1,00,000. Furthermore, cardiovascular diseases tend to affect the Indian population at a much younger age, progress more rapidly, and result in higher mortality rates.
As such, it’s important to develop healthy habits that help keep your heart healthy. Taking care of heart doesn’t mean only to avoid a heart attack; it means to maintain a healthy life. However, our busy schedules coupled with unhealthy lifestyles trigger the risk of heart health. Preventive measures are the key aspects to protect your heart and keep it healthy.
In this blog, we will discuss some effective cardiac care tips that will help keep your heart healthy ensuring a long and healthy life.
Exercise regularly
A good deal of physical activity enhances the heart’s functioning and checks the ill effects of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other heart related diseases. Regular activities like walking, cycling, swimming, or dancing are all excellent ways to keep yourself active and healthy. Everyday exercise improves the mental health, controls stress and the chance of angina symptoms.
Maintain a Balanced Diet
Adopting a balanced and healthy diet can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Adding fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, seafood to your daily diet help keep your heart healthy. Low intake of salt, sugar and refined carbohydrates, avoiding saturated fats and cholesterol rich food along with higher intake of fibres through whole grains, legumes can benefit your heart health.
Quit Smoking
In order to keep your heart fit and fine, quit smoking. One of the most common causes of heart issues is usage of tobacco. Smoking damages cardiovascular system and hence it’s important to abstain from tobacco and passive smoking also.
Limit alcohol consumption
Consumption of alcohol increases the risk of hypertension and results to heart disease and stroke; however, a moderate intake of alcohol is said to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Thus, lowering down alcohol intake can help your heart function properly.
Manage Stress
A hectic lifestyle can add more stress and affect your heart. Stress makes your heart beat faster and increases blood pressure and as a result triggers the chance of heart attack. As such, it’s necessary to manage stress through practicing yoga, meditation, spending good amount of time in the nature with close ones, practicing hobby, and staying cheerful.
Get Good Amount of Sleep
Get around 7-8 hours of sound sleep every day. Right amount of sleep helps keep you at peace and stress-free and repairs your cardiovascular system. Insufficient sleep may imbalance your blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
It’s always good to have a healthy weight to enjoy a healthy life. Excess weight may put a strain on your heart. If you're overweight or obese, it’ll put a strain on your heart. Reducing your weight can significantly improve your heart health.
Avoid Skipping Meals
Try not to skip meals because it can disrupt your blood sugar levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Maintain regular meals and healthy snacks throughout the day so as to keep your heart healthy.
Build Strong Relationships
Try to spend quality time with your loved ones, get engaged in social activities, build a strong social connections- all these will improve overall well-being and help keep your heart fit and healthy.
Stay Active and Cheerful
Be more active during the day, take brief walk around your home or workplace. For short distances walk and avoid public or private transport, If possible do cycling, it makes your heart fit and strong. Always be cheerful and happy, don’t let negative thoughts encircle you. Try to perceive things in a positive way.
Get Regular Health Check Up
It is advisable to have frequent medical check-ups after the age of 40. Those who have risk factors of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and a family history of heart disease and those who have a habit of too much smoking, have high cholesterol should go on a regular check –up. This practice can lower down the risk of heart diseases and heart attacks.
Avoid Unhealthy Lifestyles
Unhealthy lifestyles, including poor diet, late night party, skipping meals or eating too much fast food, lack of physical activity, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption increase the risk of heart diseases. So it’s better to maintain a healthy lifestyle and enjoy a long life.
Conclusion
Bringing about these small changes in your daily routine can have a good impact on your heart health. A proactive approach to heart health is essential for a long and healthy life. Take care of your heart—it’s an investment that pays off for a lifetime! Stay informed by following our easy cardiac care tips and enjoy a healthy life.
And don’t forget to consult a cardiac specialist if you experience any symptoms related to your heart.
Disclaimer
Though all attempts are made to provide correct information on the subject, inadvertent & typographical errors arising out of manual intervention cannot be ruled out. It is requested to bring any such discrepancies to the notice of the blogger for correction.