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7 Lifestyle Tips for a Healthy Heart

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Written by
SickNWell Staff Writer

 
 
Risk Factors for Heart Disease | Lifestyle Tips for a Healthy Heart | What’s the Takeaway?

 

Overview 

From the moment you’re born, your body pumps blood and oxygen through your body around the clock. Your heart is a non-stop workhorse that serves you for a lifetime. 

Yet, despite being what many consider the most crucial organ in your body, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for one in every four deaths.[1]

But don’t let the grim statistics scare you. With more knowledge about heart disease than ever before, steps can be taken to live a full life with a healthy, hard-working ticker. 

 

Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Although there are risk factors for heart disease that cannot be changed, such as age, sex, and family history, there are several well-researched, adjustable ones that will be the focus of this article:[2]

 

· Hypertension

· Hyperlipidemia (elevated concentrations of lipids or fats within the blood, i.e., LDL cholesterol)

· Diabetes

· Obesity

· Smoking

· Poor diet

· Sedentary lifestyle

· Stress

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Lifestyle Tips for a Healthy Heart

 

1) Don’t Smoke

There’s a good reason that we are kicking off this list with smoking. It’s a fact that cigarette smoking significantly increases the risk of both heart disease and stroke.[3] And that doesn’t even include all the other potential adverse health impacts that smoking can cause. So, if you don’t smoke now – congratulations! You have automatically lowered your chances of developing heart disease by doing…well, nothing! However, if you do smoke – please stop. You can access many smoking cessation resources online or speak to your doctor about therapeutic solutions to help you kick your nicotine addiction.

 

2) Physical Activity 

Sedentary individuals who get less than the CDC-recommended 150 minutes of moderate activity per week are 150 to 240 percent more likely to develop heart disease![4] This sobering message is clear: it’s time to get up and move! And that doesn’t mean you have to hit the barbells and run marathons, either. Moderate physical activity can be a brisk walk, some recreational bike riding, or swimming – as long as it adds up to at least 150 minutes per week. 

 

3) Diet

Heart healthy doesn’t have to be boring. Multiple studies have shown that a diet containing more fruits and vegetables, fish (especially oily fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines), whole grains, and fiber helps balance your body’s lipid profile and maintain a healthy weight.[5] Eating less salt, saturated fat, and added sugar will go a long way here. And while on the topic of what’s best to ingest, if you drink alcohol, do so in moderation as it can synergistically affect other risk factors.[6]

 

4) Quality Sleep 

Deep rest and recovery make a stronger heart. Studies have shown that the risk of cardiovascular events increases for people who get 5 hours of sleep or less per night compared to persons with average sleep times of 7-9 hours.[7] Shortened sleep times also contribute to the development of hypertension, which, along with coronary disease, is the predominant cause of heart failure.[8] Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and electronics before bed to give yourself a better chance of getting that all-important shut-eye. Please speak to your doctor if you have been struggling with insufficient sleep for three months or more.

 

5) Stress Management 

Stress is difficult to avoid in our hectic, demanding world. Still, many studies show psychological factors like stress and anxiety may trigger both acute cardiac events and a chronic increase in the risk of heart disease.[9][10] The body and mind must set aside quality time to focus on releasing stress. Try yoga, mindfulness exercises, deep breathing, or meditation to keep calm and carry on. You have more control than you might think. 

 

6) Your State of Health – Know the Numbers: 

As we saw earlier, hypertension is a leading cause of the development of heart disease due to its ability to damage blood vessels,[8] making it an important factor to monitor – especially if you already have high blood pressure or a family history of the condition. Additionally, get regular screenings for cholesterol levels (particularly if you have a family history of heart disease) and type 2 diabetes, which can also leave you predisposed to heart disease.[11]

 

7) Your Weight – Staying in a Healthy Range

Obesity is a significant risk factor for heart disease.[12] In addition to excessive weight, body fat distribution is a risk factor for heart disease. Those who carry extra padding around the midsection have a higher prevalence of insulin-related metabolic conditions, which can spur cardiovascular disease.[13] If you are overweight and losing excess fat seems daunting, consider this: a national study showed that individuals who lost just 7 percent of their body weight lowered nearly all cardiovascular risk factors.[14]

 

What’s the Takeaway?  

Your heart works hard for you and deserves to be treated kindly. Taking good care of it doesn’t have to be a complicated process. 

A few lifestyle changes that can start small and grow into lifelong good habits will go a long way in helping your heart help you live a longer, higher quality life. 

 

References:

  1. Gillespie, C. D., Wigington, C., Hong, Y., & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2013). Coronary heart disease and stroke deaths – United States, 2009. MMWR supplements, 62(3), 157–160.
  2. BBays, H. E., Taub, P. R., Epstein, E., Michos, E. D., Ferraro, R. A., Bailey, A. L., Kelli, H. M., Ferdinand, K. C., Echols, M. R., Weintraub, H., Bostrom, J., Johnson, H. M., Hoppe, K. K., Shapiro, M. D., German, C. A., Virani, S. S., Hussain, A., Ballantyne, C. M., Agha, A. M., & Toth, P. P. (2021). Ten things to know about ten cardiovascular disease risk factors. American journal of preventive cardiology, 5, 100149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100149
  3. US Office of the Surgeon General; US Office on Smoking and Health. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2004
  4. Writing Group Members, Mozaffarian, D., Benjamin, E. J., Go, A. S., Arnett, D. K., Blaha, M. J., Cushman, M., Das, S. R., de Ferranti, S., Després, J. P., Fullerton, H. J., Howard, V. J., Huffman, M. D., Isasi, C. R., Jiménez, M. C., Judd, S. E., Kissela, B. M., Lichtman, J. H., Lisabeth, L. D., Liu, S., … Stroke Statistics Subcommittee (2016). Executive Summary: Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics–2016 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 133(4), 447–454. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000366
  5. Mozaffarian, D., Appel, L. J., & Van Horn, L. (2011). Components of a cardioprotective diet: new insights. Circulation, 123(24), 2870–2891. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.968735
  6. Fernández-Solà J. (2020). The Effects of Ethanol on the Heart: Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy. Nutrients, 12(2), 572. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12020572
  7. Cappuccio, F. P., Cooper, D., D’Elia, L., Strazzullo, P., & Miller, M. A. (2011). Sleep duration predicts cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur Heart J, 32(12), 1484-1492. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehr007
  8. Roger, V. L. (2021). Epidemiology of Heart Failure: A Contemporary Perspective. Circ Res, 128(10), 1421-1434. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.318172
  9. Mittleman, M. A., & Mostofsky, E. (2011). Physical, psychological and chemical triggers of acute cardiovascular events: preventive strategies. Circulation, 124(3), 346–354. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.968776
  10. Stuart-Shor, E. M., Berra, K. A., Kamau, M. W., & Kumanyika, S. K. (2012). Behavioral strategies for cardiovascular risk reduction in diverse and underserved racial/ethnic groups. Circulation, 125(1), 171–184. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.968495
  11. De Rosa, S., Arcidiacono, B., Chiefari, E., Brunetti, A., Indolfi, C., & Foti, D. P. (2018). Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiovascular Disease: Genetic and Epigenetic Links. Frontiers in endocrinology, 9, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2018.00002
  12. Eckel, R. H., & Krauss, R. M. (1998). American Heart Association call to action: obesity as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. AHA Nutrition Committee. Circulation, 97(21), 2099–2100. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.cir.97.21.2099
  13. Després J. P. (1993). Abdominal obesity as important component of insulin-resistance syndrome. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 9(5), 452–459.
  14. Look AHEAD Research Group, Wing, R. R., Bolin, P., Brancati, F. L., Bray, G. A., Clark, J. M., Coday, M., Crow, R. S., Curtis, J. M., Egan, C. M., Espeland, M. A., Evans, M., Foreyt, J. P., Ghazarian, S., Gregg, E. W., Harrison, B., Hazuda, H. P., Hill, J. O., Horton, E. S., Hubbard, V. S., … Yanovski, S. Z. (2013). Cardiovascular effects of intensive lifestyle intervention in type 2 diabetes. The New England journal of medicine, 369(2), 145–154. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1212914
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