The heart is an amazing organ. It’s the powerhouse that keeps us alive, pumping blood throughout our bodies 24 hours a day. And yet, it’s so fragile that most people don’t know how to take care of it properly—especially since heart disease often has no warning signs until it’s too late. Below are the top 10 habits that put your heart at risk by heart specialist Sydney:
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Snacking on salty foods.
Avoiding salty foods is an extremely good idea if you want to protect your heart. Salt (sodium) is a necessary nutrient that helps regulate blood pressure, but too much of it can raise your risk for high blood pressure and stroke. Salt is found in many foods, including breads, cereals, meats, processed foods and condiments such as soy sauce and salad dressings. To put things into perspective: one teaspoon of table salt contains 2,300 milligrams of sodium—more than twice the daily recommended amount!
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Skipping breakfast.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and not just because it gets you out of bed in the morning. Eating breakfast can help you lose weight, sleep better and focus better. But skipping that first meal can also put your heart at risk. If you’re starving when you wake up—and aren’t planning on eating for another six hours or so—you might find yourself reaching for a high-sugar snack like sugar-coated cereal or fruit roll-ups. Those foods are full of simple carbohydrates that spike blood sugar levels quickly and then drop them down even faster, leaving you feeling hungry again soon after eating them. A healthy breakfast gives your body time to digest food slowly throughout the day rather than all at once at 8:15am sharp while simultaneously making sure that it has enough fuel stored up to last until lunchtime (or whenever).
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Eating sweets and fast food regularly.
Eating sweets and fast food regularly can be hazardous to your heart health. Sugar is a major cause of heart disease, and both fast food and sweets are high in saturated fat and salt, which increases blood pressure. Consuming sweet foods daily can increase your risk of heart disease by up to 50%.
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Sleeping too little or too much.
Sleeping less than five hours a night can raise your risk of heart disease, according to a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association. And sleeping more than eight hours a night may also be bad for your heart, as well as other parts of your body. But how much sleep do you need? It depends on who you ask: The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours per night at most; while other groups say that adults should get between six to eight hours every night. In general, most studies suggest that somewhere between seven and eight hours is ideal for most people (but this varies depending on age—the younger you are, the more sleep you need).
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Getting stressed out a lot or often feeling anxious or depressed.
Stress can be a major player in putting your heart at risk. Stress can cause your heart to beat faster, breathing faster, blood pressure rising and feeling more anxious or depressed. All of these things put stress on your body that can lead to health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes or even irregular heartbeat. Stress also affects what you eat which causes an unhealthy spike in blood sugar levels that can lead to diabetes and increased risk of heart disease.
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Drinking alcohol excessively, which typically means more than one drink a day for women, or more than two drinks a day for men by Cardiologists in Sydney.
- Drinking alcohol excessively, which typically means more than one drink a day for women, or more than two drinks a day for men.
- Alcohol can damage the heart and blood vessels
- It increases blood pressure and also puts you at risk of high blood pressure in the future
- It increases the risk of stroke (a sudden loss of brain function)
- Drinking alcohol increases your risk for breast cancer
- Alcohol can cause liver disease and pancreatitis (Cardiologists in Sydney) .
- Smoking
cigarettes regularly, instead of quitting.
Actually smoking cigarettes regularly is a major risk factor for heart disease. Smoking raises blood pressure, which puts stress on your heart and arteries. This can increase the risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD). Smoking also increases the risk of irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmias. These abnormal rhythms can lead to sudden death if they are not treated right away with medication or other treatments. In addition, smoking can cause blood clots to form in your veins (venous thromboembolism), which can travel to the lungs causing a blockage in one or more arteries that supply blood to the lungs (pulmonary embolism).
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Not exercising enough, or doing too strenuous exercise at times that are considered hazardous, such as late at night or very early in the morning.
Your heart needs exercise for good health. But how much and what type of exercise is best? The American Heart Association recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity each week, in addition to muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week that work all major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest and shoulders). Exercise should be performed in a safe setting and at a convenient time. Good times to exercise include early morning hours before breakfast; lunchtime when you take your break; after dinner if you are not too tired; and later in the evening after dinner or just before bedtime.
Ignoring signs of heart disease that you’ve noticed in yourself, such as severe pain in the chest with exertion, dizziness
It’s important to know and understand your own body, so you can tell if something is amiss. Some signs that may indicate heart disease are chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath and unusual fatigue. If you experience any of these symptoms while exercising or at rest, it’s important to seek medical help immediately.
You need to pay attention to your heart health every day.
Heart disease is a serious condition that can be managed with lifestyle changes. Heart disease is common and affects people of all ages, but it’s still the leading cause of death in the AU. If you have heart disease, you should know what to expect and how to keep yourself safe. To stay healthy, follow these ten habits:
Conclusion
Make sure you’re doing everything you can to take care of your heart health. It’s important to be aware of the risks of unhealthy habits and make changes when needed in order to keep your body and mind healthy. You can also go for a holter monitor test Sydney to check your heart health.
