Everything You Need to Know About Improving Heart Health

It seems you can’t go anywhere today or turn on the news or television without hearing how important it is to always be working on improving heart health. That is because cardiovascular disease, also known as CVD, is a leading cost of death in America.

We know that the human heart beats over 2 billion times in one average lifespan and that every beat must be as healthy as possible to live as long as possible.

It’s never too late to jump on the heart-healthy bandwagon. Read on to discover the most common heart problems, and how you can begin improving the heart health of your family today.

Most Common Heart Problems

When it comes to improving heart health, you are much closer to that goal when you understand the most common heart problems. Even so, the most common heart problems are not exhaustive, and the list of things that can go wrong with your heart are numerous.

When you are improving heart health, you reduce your risk of all potential heart problems. But the most common problems are atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and CVD.

Sometimes just one of these problems can lead to a fatal heart problem, so all heart issues must be addressed immediately. And, if you already have a heart problem, you can begin addressing heart-healthy tips and begin improving your prognosis right away.

Atherosclerosis is also known as the hardening of arteries that carry blood. If you’ve ever eaten a Big Mac and joked, “I can feel my arteries hardening already” then you are familiar with this concept.

This occurs when fat deposits stick in your arteries and blood is unable to move towards or away from the heart. If a plaque deposit breaks down, you are at risk for a sudden heart attack or stroke, the other two common heart problems.

High cholesterol contributes to this, but you can use medication such as Accupril to help.

Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure. And, blood clots can form in your veins in a condition known as deep vein thrombosis, a condition that usually requires hospitalization and surgery.

Medication like Heparin can help with blood clots and other blood or heart problems.

Improving Heart Health With Diet

It is fairly common knowledge that a healthy diet goes a long way towards improving heart health. The biggest means of improving heart health in diet is to avoid trans-fatty acids.

These are the fats that raise your cholesterol and lead to fatty deposits in the blood. The more trans fat you have in your body, the greater your risk for heart disease.

Read food labels when grocery shopping to determine how much of one food contains trans-fatty acids, and work towards fresher foods such as fruits and veggies that will help reduce those in the body.

Sleep Well

Sleep is an important function in our daily lives. Poor sleep patterns mess up our circadian rhythms which are directly connected to our cardiovascular functioning.

At the same time, poor sleep habits will contribute to higher stress levels, which will further contribute to high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Put together a routine that gets your mind ready for sleep every night.

One study noted that out of 3,000 participants, the ones that got less than 6 hours of sleep a night were more at risk for heart disease. Those participants were twice as likely to experience heart disease or stroke.

Stay Active

Being physically fit is an important component of any plan that is designed towards improving heart health. That is because when our heart is pumping, even in a simple walk, adrenaline and chemicals are flowing that keep blood flowing.

Good blood flow is critical to improving heart health. That is accomplished by regular exercise.

You don’t need to be a gym rat to accomplish this. Even adding yoga to your routine a few times a week can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Another thing that exercise does to improve heart health is it keeps your weight balanced. When you are overweight, your body has more to lug around, and this puts increased pressure on your blood flow.

And if you have excess weight, you are restricting blood flow with fatty deposits in the blood that make your body have to work that much harder.

That makes sleeping difficult, and even moderate activity difficult.

Again, you don’t need to be a gym rat or a toothpick to have a healthy heart. Just stay active and maintain a healthy weight and you’ve won half the battle.

Avoid All Smoking and Vaping Products

It is no secret that smoking is bad for your health, but new information is coming out daily about vaping as well. Many people choose vaping to bypass the chemicals found in cigarettes, but vaping is becoming a health risk as well.

To date, very little research has been conducted on vaping products, but the CDC does note that vaping has been linked to some fatalities or severe lung disease.

When your lungs suffer, so does your heart. Any form of smoking or vaping causes this.

You will be improving heart health when you avoid all smoking products and avoid being near second-hand smoking as well.

Invest in Heart Health

Heart disease is one of the most common killers in the United States and consumes an extraordinary amount of resources in the health care system. It is estimated that cardiovascular disease alone cost the nation over $351 billion in the year 2014-2015 alone.

It is also estimated that every 40 seconds one American will experience some form of myocardial problem, and over 1 million people in the United States in 2019 will experience some form of a coronary event.

These problems will cost you out of pocket, no matter how good your health care is. And the statistics tell us that the chances of this happening in your family are significant. This is why you can’t turn on the television without seeing advice or programs on improving hearth health today. It’s never too late to start.

Contact our online pharmacy and invest in lower-cost heart health today.