Habits to help prevent heart attack

Regular exercise, adequate sleep, avoiding stress, smoking, etc. can help reduce the risk of a heart attack.

Exercise often

Regular exercise helps control risk factors for developing heart disease, including blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and body weight. Certain aerobic exercises provide health benefits and also keep the heart muscle healthy. Aim to exercise moderately for 30 minutes, at least 5 days per week.

In addition, brisk walking, cycling or swimming exercises are also beneficial for the heart. If you're new to exercise, break it up into 10-minute mini-exercises, just enough to break a sweat.

Get enough sleep

Getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night for adults can help prevent heart attacks. Recent research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people who slept too little had a 20 percent higher risk of sudden cardiac arrest. However, too much sleep increases this rate up to 34% and there is no research to explain this problem.

Dr.BS Guy Mintz, Director of Cardiology at Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in New York, USA, says sleep problems such as obstructive sleep apnea, sleep disorders cause breathing disruptions . This can lead to inflammation and narrowing of the arteries, both of which increase the risk of a heart attack.

Avoid stress

Mental health and heart health are linked. Initially, stress causes inflammation throughout the body and can gradually lead to heart disease. Feeling uncomfortable, constantly being stressed at work, working for a long time... can increase a person's risk of heart attack.

Limiting stress, stress, maintaining stable mental health are ways to help prevent heart attacks. Photo: Freepik

If you can't change jobs, there are steps you can take to manage stress. Among these, deep breathing exercises, mindful breathing (bringing thoughts into the breath, bringing attention to the abdomen), meditation, tai chi or yoga can be beneficial.

Quit smoking

Quitting smoking can prevent diseases related to the lungs, heart... Smoking not only damages the lungs but also causes inflammation and narrowing of blood vessels, both of which increase the likelihood of a heart attack. If you can't quit smoking on your own, seek some help from a medical professional.

Pay attention to blood pressure

High blood pressure is considered a "silent killer". Although there are no obvious symptoms, fluctuations in blood pressure readings can lead to a heart attack. A healthy blood pressure is about 120/80 or less.

If the blood pressure readings are higher, taking blood pressure-lowering medications or adopting some lifestyle changes may also help. In particular, losing weight (for overweight people), exercising a lot, following a healthy eating plan, low in salt, lots of green vegetables, fruits, nuts can be effective.

Check cholesterol

Keep your heart healthy by monitoring cholesterol levels, which protect nerves and build new cells. The body makes cholesterol on its own, but sometimes certain foods like milk, eggs, and meat can cause cholesterol to rise . This causes fat to build up in the artery walls, narrowing and leading to heart disease.

There are two types of cholesterol: HDL - "good" and LDL - "bad". For a healthy body, the HDL cholesterol must be 60 or higher and the LDL must be below 100.

Diabetes control

Diabetes can lead to cardiovascular disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, uncontrolled high blood sugar damages blood vessels and nerves (these nerves supply blood vessels as well as the heart).

Besides, other dangers that often accompany diabetes such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and inactivity can also harm heart health. Maintaining a healthy eating plan, being active in exercise, and taking diabetes medications are ways to keep blood sugar levels stable, and also help prevent heart attacks .

Drink alcohol in moderation

One study found that regular heavy drinking significantly increased the risk of a heart attack. Enjoying a beer or a glass of wine with dinner is normal, but drink it in moderation. The recommended amount of alcohol per day for women is one drink or two drinks for men. Drinking more raises blood pressure, increases blood fats and leads to weight gain, all of which are bad for the heart.

Go for regular medical check-ups

Maintain regular checkups to control risk factors for heart attack. Your doctor will monitor your blood pressure, your "good" and "bad" cholesterol levels, your blood sugar, and check your fat content. Elevated fat is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk.

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