Heart attack is the number one leading cause of death in the United States.
Around 610,000 people diet of cancer every year in the country, which means around 1700 people die of heart attack every single day.
The American Heart Association claims that nearly 50 percent of the adult population in the USA has some kind of cardiovascular illness.
Although we are bombarded with warning messages and new stories about the need to protect our hearts and take care of its wellness, most of us do very little to keep it in good shape.
The sad part is most of our lifestyles is actually very damaging to our hearts and we hardly realize the truth. We only realise our careless we have been with our lifestyle choices when we had our first attack. And for some individuals, it could be too late for realization.
So, what are the things we do but not realize that its damaging our hearts? Let’s find out
Not checking your blood pressure
Do you know most of us could be having high blood pressure and do not even realize it? We will only get to know about it when we get it checked.
It is really important to get your blood pressure checked at regular intervals because the symptoms of high blood pressure can be very subtle and we often brush it aside.
Having high blood pressure or hypertension can weaken the walls of your arteries and blood vessels. This increases your chances of heart attack, stroke, and other heart problems.
Not checking your cholesterol levels
Your body has two types of cholesterol, good cholesterol or HDL and bad cholesterol or LDL. LDL or bad cholesterol negatively impacts your heart’s health and it can create blocks in your arteries, increasing your risk of a heart attack.
HDL, on the other hand, protects your heart. To maintain a healthy heart your body should have high levels of HDL in relation to your LDL levels. Your aim should be to keep the total cholesterol levels lesser than 200 mg/dL, with LDL amounting to less than 100 mg/dL and an HDL level of 60 mg/dL or higher.
Health experts recommend getting your cholesterol levels checked once in every 5 years for younger adults, however, older adults might need more frequent checkups.
Consuming too much-saturated fats
Just like cholesterol, there are two major types of fats as well, those are saturated and unsaturated fats. According to the American Heart Association, consuming high levels of saturated fats would increase your risk of cardiovascular condition, because it is said to increase your LDL cholesterol in the blood.
So, what are the foods rich in saturated fats? most of your red meat, chicken with skin, dairy products like butter and cheese.
Not exercising regularly
Exercise should be your daily routine, especially when considering the fact most of our work gets done while sitting in front of a computer or a laptop. If your work demands you to be seated for the most part of the day, then it is a must to spare at least one hour every day and spend it on exercise.
According to the American Heart Association, only about 20 percent of the population gets enough exercise per week that ensures their heart’s health.
A simple exercise routine of brisk walking every day can get greatly beneficial in protecting your heart.
Consuming too much-added sugar or sugary beverages
Consuming too much added sugar is linked to several health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, chronic inflammation, and liver diseases.
Research scientists claim about 90 percent of your sugar intake comes from ultra-processed foods if you live in the United States. Sugar is added to these foods either to make it taste sweeter or to improve their shelf life.
We have the wrong notion that only sodium or salt intake increases our blood pressure. However, this has been proved wrong. Health experts claim too much sugar also contributes to high blood pressure both directly and indirectly.
Sugar addiction is linked to obesity and overweight, and most of these people develop high blood pressure and increase their risk of cardiovascular diseases including heart attack.
Consuming packaged and processed foods
Packaged and processed foods either have high levels of sodium or high levels of added sugar. Both these two ingredients are well known to increase your blood pressure levels.
Additionally, processed foods contain saturated fats and trans fats. High levels of these types of fats are linked to increased levels of LDL or bad cholesterol in the blood, which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Regular consumption of alcohol
It is a no brainer that alcohol affects your liver and gut health, by increasing the levels of toxins in your body. Alcohol also increases the blood pressure and triglycerides which are known to increase the risk of heart disease.
Though there are safe recommendations for alcohol intake for both men and women, it is better to quit drink it to avoid any type of risk to your heart.
Drinking Diet Sodas
That attractive mentioning on the label that it has zero calories is too hard to resist if you are too much obsessed with your calorie intake. However, zero or low-calorie count in your diet sodas doesn’t make it a healthy alternative to other sugary or sweetened beverages.
Diet sodas are sweetened with chemical compounds that increase your risk of metabolic syndrome, a condition when your body has a problem with processing insulin. This increases your risk of type-2 diabetes and also your risk of a heart attack.
Sleeping too much
Oversleeping can negatively impact your heart health claim health experts. When you sleep too much, it directly impacts the amount of oxygen your body gets. This increases your risk of several health problems including high blood pressure and heart attack.
According to a research study (1) published in the American Heart Association, people who sleep more than 8 hours a day increase their risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease. While sleeping for more than 11 hours a day increases the risk by nearly 44 percent.
Cardiologists recommend an ideal sleeping duration of seven to nine hours every night.
Isolating yourself
Internet, social media, smartphones, computers, and other electronic gadgets have changed the way we live and interact (2). Despite the increase in our digital interactions, more and more people experience social isolation in modern times (3)
Loneliness and social isolation are the leading causes of chronic stress, which can lead to elevated levels of blood pressure and increase your risk of a heart attack.
Not consuming enough omega-3 fatty acids
Both consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and supplementing the nutrient is good for your heart’s health.
Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the inflammation, triglyceride levels, and blood pressure according to the Mayo Clinic report (4)
Some good sources of this vital nutrient include lean fish, walnuts, and eggs. If you want to supplement the nutrient, the recommended dosage is 1,100mg for women, and 1,600mg for men.
Note: Supplement form of omega-3 should only be consumed with Doctor’s recommendation.
Consuming a lot of oily foods
Most vegetable oils and corn oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acid, which is a polyunsaturated fatty acid. While this type of fatty acid is good for your health, most of us consume too much of it. Consuming higher levels of omega-6 is linked to increased inflammation throughout your body, which is bad for your heart health according to health experts.
Nutritionists recommend using olive oil in place of vegetable oils which they believe will protect your heart.
Smoking Cigarettes
Cigarette smoking not only increases your risk of cancers but also your risk of cardiovascular diseases. The harmful chemical compounds that are present in cigarette smokes can potentially decrease the level of oxygen in your blood, which is a big red flag for people with heart conditions.
Additionally, certain toxins in cigarette smoke damage your arteries and thicken it. This greatly increases the risk of a heart attack.
