Heart disease is quite common in older adults. However, the prevalence of heart failure is becoming more common in younger adults under the age of 45. Heart failure may lead to disability and worst case, death. The first step is to understand the risk factors of heart disease.
The Major Cardiovascular Risk Factors that You Cannot Change are:
1. Age:
With age, our hearts and blood vessels change, becoming stiffer and weaker, increasing the cardiovascular risk and related heart problems. Men at the age of 45+ and women of 55+ are at higher risk.
2. Gender:
Heart disease develops differently in males and females. For example, the estrogen hormone in females provides a layer of protection against heart disease in females while menopause leads to higher cardiovascular risk. Take diabetes, it increases the risk of heart failure more in females than in males.
Read about the Heart Failure Symptoms & causes of Heart failure.
3. Race & Ethnicity:
South Asians, according to studies, develop heart disease at an early age. In Indians, the risk factors for heart disease are diabetes, diets, non-vegetarian diet, smoking, physical activities and central obesity i.e., waist and hip ratio.
4. Family History:
If any of your close family members were diagnosed with heart disease at an early age, then you are at a greater risk. Say– your mother or sister before the age of 65 or your father or brother before 55.
Heart Disease Risk Factors that can be Changed
While the count of risk factors is immense, the major attributes are:
- 1. Smoking
- 2. Excessive alcohol intake
- 3. Inadequate physical activity & sleep
- 4. Obesity
- 5. Uncontrolled stress, depression & anger
- 6. Poor diet
- 7. Uncontrolled cholesterol, high blood pressure & diabetes
You must know about the 5 Types of Cardiovascular Diseases.
How to Prevent Heart Disease?
Preventing heart disease is depending on your lifestyle, minor progressive daily changes can help protect your heart, reduce heart attack risks and improve overall health and well-being.
1. Sleep:
Let’s start with a good night’s sleep. Inadequate sleep is directly proportional to diabetes, high blood pressure, uncontrolled anger, stress and obesity. These increase your risk factor for heart disease.
An adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. A good sleeping habit is a must. A scheduled on-time sleep is even better. Screen time before sleep is disastrous.
If you often feel that you have briefly stopped breathing many times during sleep, sometimes it gives a nightmare dream, it might be sleep apnea. Consult with a health care provider as it interferes with your ability to get a good rest and can raise your cardiovascular risk.
2. Smoking:
There is no going with limited smoking of tobacco as second-hand smoke causes serious health risks, especially in children. There is no good or bad level of smoking.
Secondhand smokers, also called passive or involuntary smokers, are people who breathe in the smoke breathed out by people who smoke or burn tobacco.
To reduce heart disease risk due to smoking, quit smoking immediately. Consult with a healthcare provider to help you in getting rid of the addiction. To keep your near and dear ones safe from second-hand smoke, it will be wiser to smoke outside or away from the house, smoke in the open rather than in closed spaces as in a car.
3. Alcohol:
Have you ever wondered why alcohol intake is limited rather than entirely avoided like in the case of smoking. Studies suggest that moderate alcohol intake, especially red wine in its truest form, may have cardiovascular benefits.
However, this doesn’t give a clean chit to alcohol consumption. Excess can raise blood pressure, add calories and lead to weight gain increasing your risk factors for heart disease. It’s best not to drink, but if you do, have max 1 and 2 drinks per day for women and men respectively.
4. Physical Activity & Diet:
Regular physical activity and a heart-healthy diet strengthen your heart and improve circulation. Consult with trained professionals to understand how vigorous your physical activity needs to be, as per your health and height. Limit saturated fats, sodium-rich foods, added sugars and preservatives. Include more fruits, grams, whole grains, and veggies.
Taking physical activity and diet into consideration can help lower cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure. It helps maintain a healthy weight and reduce heart disease risk.
5. Stress:
Stress can raise your blood pressure and can even trigger a heart attack. People often lean towards overeating, heavy drinking, and smoking to cope with the stress which is extremely bad for your already troubled heart. Try cycling, walking, jogging, listening to music and meditating.
Cardiovascular Risk Assessment
Cardiovascular risk assessment is a screening tool often taken online or at the cardiac hospital. It’s nothing major, yet can help address undetected major heart diseases. At Sum Ultimate, a major heart specialist hospital in Bhubaneswar, you’ll get a comprehensive assessment. Even if you are healthy now, the assessments done by the best cardiologist in Odisha can indicate possible chances of your risk factors for heart failure later and the steps to reduce heart disease risk.