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There are things that seem to have nothing to do with health – friendship, for example. However, they affect you.
Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide. Meanwhile, these are just those diseases that a person can influence himself by acquiring good habits and getting rid of bad ones. Science says that even those who already have the first signs of the disease can change direction and significantly reduce their risk.
How to do it?
There are several rules that most of us are well aware of, so we will not dwell on them in detail, just list them. Important for heart health:
- – do not smoke;
- – do not overeat and maintain a healthy weight;
- – do not abuse alcohol; – do physical education;
- – take regular breaks if you have a sedentary job (walk around, talk on the phone while standing, etc.), spend no more than 7 hours a week in front of the TV;
- – eat more vegetables and fruits, foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, do not eat fast food, limit sugar and trans fats;
Get enough sleep, which for most means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. There is, however, something that affects your heart and blood vessels that you may not be aware of. Here are some non-standard tips that will help you, along with the right lifestyle, to maintain the health of the most important body system.
Take care of your teeth and gums
Scientists have found that there is a fairly strong relationship between gum health and heart disease. The exact reason for this connection has not been established, but doctors suggest that the matter is in the inflammatory processes that develop in the oral cavity if we take poor care of it. A stone forms on the teeth, bacteria accumulate in it and trigger inflammation, which spreads further and leads to atherosclerosis of the vessels.
It is very important to brush your teeth several times a day and clean the interdental space with a special floss. It is also recommended that you visit your dentist regularly, who will monitor the condition of your teeth and, if necessary, suggest cleaning of the calculus, which should be carried out at least once a year.
Don’t Ignore Snoring
No need to treat snoring as an annoying, but not a serious problem. It can be a symptom of a very unpleasant disorder – sleep apnea. It is characterized by the cessation of pulmonary ventilation during sleep for more than 10 seconds. Most often it lasts 20-30 seconds, although in severe cases it can reach 2-3 minutes and take up to 60% of the total night’s sleep. Scientists have found that there is a link between sleep apnea and hypertension, as well as heart failure.
When a person stops breathing, the level of oxygen in the body drops, which leads to the excitation of the corresponding receptors in the brain. The brain responds with a signal that tells the vessels to “tighten up” in order to increase the flow of oxygen to the heart and brain as priority organs. Thus, apnea leads to an increase in pressure. However, what happens at night tends to persist during the day in the waking state. Low oxygen levels during sleep trigger a variety of mechanisms that continue to operate even when a person is breathing normally. This is how hypertension develops.
If you have sleep apnea, you should see a sleep specialist and start treatment to avoid developing hypertension and heart disease.
Don’t be a passive smoker!
Numerous studies show that the risk of developing cardiovascular disease for passive smokers is 25-30% higher than the average in the population. The American Heart Association estimates that 34,000 non-old people die each year in the United States as a result of exposure to tobacco smoke.
At the same time, those people who do not smoke themselves, but already have health problems, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, and are also passive smokers, further increase their risk of serious heart disease. Be firm and do not allow your friends or family members to smoke in your presence, and also try to keep your children from exposure to tobacco smoke.
Eat your breakfast
Scientists at Harvard University Medical School followed 26,000 American men aged 45 to 82 for 16 years. It turned out that study participants who skipped breakfast increased their risk of dying from a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease by 27%. Experts advise not just to eat something for breakfast, but to eat healthy, nutrient-rich foods. It can be cereal, scrambled eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts.
It is also important to consider the calorie content of breakfast. If you consume about 2,000 calories a day, breakfast could be anywhere from 200 to 600 calories, depending on what you plan for lunch and dinner. In any case, avoid empty calories, that is, foods high in sugar and starch and low in vitamins, fiber, and trace elements. A sweet donut, sausage, or defrosted convenience foods like nuggets will not promote heart health, rather the opposite.
