A healthy heart is essential to our survival. It is part of our circulatory system and responsible for pumping oxygen-rich blood throughout our body. For maintaining a healthy heart, it is important to take precautions. And, preventing heart disease depends largely on our lifestyle. The use of medications, when appropriate, can be beneficial, but medications should be an addition to lifestyle improvements like healthy food. Healthy changes in the way we live, particularly avoiding foods bad for the heart and exercising regularly helps reduce heart disease risk factors, reverses the progression of coronary artery disease, or atherosclerosis and so on.
To learn about how to improve heart health, let’s have a detailed discussion about heart.
If we look at some of the interesting facts about heart, we derive that the beating sound your heart makes is caused by the opening and closing of its valves. And, each day your heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood. There are more such facts regarding heart. To be aware about the tips to improve heart health, it is important to know the signs of an unhealthy heart.
What are the Signs of an Unhealthy Heart?
There are various signs of unhealthy heart. For example:-
- Shortness of Breath
It is described as the sensation of not being able to breathe efficiently. Shortness of breath may result from anxiety, anemia, and allergic reactions. But the underlying cause is usually cardiac in nature. - Chest Discomfort
It is one of the obvious signifiers of an unhealthy heart, since the heart is located in the chest. If a person feels pressure or burning in the chest, the heart is a likely culprit. - Irregular Heartbeat
An irregular heartbeat actually is a kind of heart disease. Not necessarily all arrhythmias are dangerous or an indication of a serious heart condition. Yet there are many arrhythmias that are potentially dangerous. - Heartburn, Stomach Pain or Back Pain
People need to be especially careful of persistent heartburn, stomach or back pain as these may be the classic indicators of an unhealthy heart.
How to Improve Heart Health after COVID?
Each person has different levels of COVID infection. For instance, there are mild, moderate, and severe complications that may differ from person to person. COVID-19 infection affects the inner surface of the veins and arteries which can cause blood vessel inflammation.
For recovered Covid patients who had mild symptoms, it is not necessary to take any protective actions outside of the regular heart health guidelines. However, the AHA also recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity for better heart health.
Tips to Improve Heart Health
Here mentioned are few effective tips about how to improve heart health.
- Get Moving
Your heart is a muscle and exercise is what strengthens it. The first step is to establish your target heart rate, then find an activity you enjoy and stick to it. - Quit Smoking
Quitting smoking is tough. But it’s important to quit since smoking is one of the biggest reasons linked to heart disease. - Lose Weight
Weight loss can be done by following a regular healthy diet and exercise. You can lose weight as per your convenience. - Avoid Overeating
Consuming a lot of food at once leads to blood shifting from the heart to the digestive system which can lead to heart attack or heart failure. - Don’t Stress
There are several biochemical responses to stress, including a rise in blood pressure and a faster heart rate. If you don’t manage your stress, it can affect your heart health.
For any further guidelines regarding improving heart health, you must consult a cardiologist in the Multi-Specialty Hospital in Hyderabad.
