Are Your Poor Choices Affecting Your Heart’s Health?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., And the scary thing about that is that in many cases, it’s entirely preventable. For generations, people’s poor choices have been leading them to an early grave. Are you next? Here are a few of the ways your decisions may be affecting your heart’s health

Eating an Unhealthy Diet

In a world where hot and tasty food is available at the click of a button to be delivered right to our door, and there’s a fast food joint conveniently located on every other corner- it’s easy to make bad food choices. Everything is fine in moderation. But consistently eating the wrong thing leads to weight gain and a whole host of heart-related issues over the years. Having too much fat around the waist puts you at a higher risk of developing heart-related issues. This is because abdominal fat affects blood pressure, blood lipid levels and interferes with your ability to use insulin effectively. Having too much fat around the neck puts you at risk of sleep apnea which again is linked to heart problems. Studies have shown that obesity isn’t just indirectly linked coronary heart disease, but is, in fact, an indicator of it. So to reduce your risk of developing the disease, your first call of action would be to achieve a healthy BMI. Ditch foods that are high in saturated fat and sugar and eat lots of fresh fruit and veg, healthy grains and lean protein instead. A supplement like Garcinia Cambogia could be useful too. This is a natural and safe supplement which has been shown to be effective for weight loss. If you’re interested, you could search Garcinia Cambogia for weight loss.

Not Exercising Regularly

While exercise is linked with weight, and regular exercise will help you to achieve and maintain a healthy BMI, there’s more to it than that. It lowers blood pressure which reduces strain on the heart and increases ‘good cholesterol’ which transports fat away from the arteries. It reduces the chance of developing blood clots due to improving circulation. It can be difficult to fit in exercise into our busy lives, but it’s important to make time for it. If you find something you enjoy, it will make it easier. And if you choose something social like a group sport it could also double up as social time spent with friends.

Not Getting Enough Sleep

Poor sleep is linked to clogging and hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, heart failure and heart attack. When you don’t get enough sleep, over time your body can produce an inflammatory response. This can affect your circulatory system and in turn, your heart. It also leads to the production of more stress hormones which can also contribute to heart issues. Addressing your sleep issues is crucial for your heart’s health. It could mean sorting out your sleeping pattern, or it could mean cutting down your hours at work. Something has to give, you only get so many hours in the day and sacrificing sleep to get them done shouldn’t be an option.

Using Unhealthy Habits To Cope With Stress

Stress is a huge contributor to heart problems. A very well-known study showed that people with certain behavior characteristics (known as ‘type A behavior’) were much more likely to go on to develop coronary heart disease. These characteristics are typical of people who stress too much. Impatience, competitiveness, perfectionism, and hostility are just a few. Another reason stress can lead to heart problems is due to the ways people deal with it. Eating unhealthy foods, drinking alcohol, smoking and taking drugs are all going to be detrimental to heart health. Finding healthy and productive ways to reduce stress levels, such as exercise or practicing meditation can be useful.

Not Getting Regular Health Screenings

Finally, attending health screenings that are relevant to you allows any issues to be caught early on. In the early stages, making lifestyle changes can be enough to get you back on track. If you don’t want to be stuck taking tablets for the rest of your life, this is important.