8 Tips for Maintaining Heart Health

8 Tips for Maintaining Heart Health

One of the most feared health problems in the world is heart disease. Not only because it's deadly, but also because the attacks can come unexpectedly.

This disease is also referred to as a result of an unhealthy lifestyle. Thus, it is very important to maintain heart health from an early age.

Trying to prevent heart disease or cardiovascular disease, including vascular disease, means that you have made a smart choice. Why? Because this will affect your future.

Lack of physical activity, poor diet, and having unhealthy habits like smoking are some of the main things that make your lifestyle unhealthy. The accumulation of these things can have an adverse effect on your heart or blood vessels.

Here are some ways to maintain health that need to be done every day:

1. Take care of your oral health

Did you know that the health of one part of the body with other parts is related to each other? For example, oral health with the heart.

Problems with the heart can occur when symptoms of gum, mouth, and tooth disease get worse and don't get treatment. When it gets worse, both bacteria and fungi can move into the bloodstream and increase C-reactive protein. Protein can cause inflammation in the blood vessels around the heart.

Therefore, an easy way to maintain a healthy heart is to take care of your oral health. Try to brush your teeth twice regularly, in the morning before breakfast and at night before going to bed. Also clean your teeth by flossing or using dental floss.

2. Limit consumption of salty foods

Salty and savory foods are delicious, but if they are excessive they can cause high blood pressure (hypertension) which is one of the risk factors for heart disease. When your blood pressure is high, the work of the heart in pumping blood will be heavier and this can interfere with heart health.

Limit intake of salt (sodium) per day for people aged 19-49 years is 1500 mg. You can reduce salt by limiting the use of salt when cooking. In addition, also limit packaged high-salt foods, such as smoked beef, snacks, and junk food.

To keep the food delicious, you can replace the salt with healthy spices, such as garlic, onion, or pepper.

 

3. Avoid smoking

Another way to prevent heart disease is to avoid smoking. Active smokers and second-hand smokers have the same risk of developing heart disease. If you are a smoker, start seeking professional medical assistance for your smoking cessation program. In addition to protecting yourself, quitting smoking protects the people around you from the risk of being exposed to the smoke of cigarettes you exhale, especially in confined spaces.

4. Reduce high cholesterol

Another way to maintain a healthy heart is to control cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a fat that spreads throughout the body in the blood. Our body naturally produces cholesterol. Cholesterol can also increase from some foods consumed. Eating lots of foods that contain saturated and trans fats can increase cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is important to support the functioning of the body. However, at high levels, bad cholesterol can attach to the arterial wall and lead to the formation of plaques that cause a heart attack. The main step in managing cholesterol is to check your blood cholesterol levels on a regular basis.

5. Eat more vegetables and fruit eat vegetables

Vegetables and fruits are great sources of vitamins and minerals for your body. In addition, this type of food contains antioxidant compounds that can prevent inflammation, is rich in fiber, and low in calories. The content of these nutrients can help you maintain a healthy heart.

You can add various types of vegetables as a meal menu, and fruits as a healthy snack. Don't forget, wash the vegetables and fruit first with running water before you eat.

6. Stress management

A way to maintain a healthy heart that is often overlooked is stress management. When launching WebMD, stress can interfere with heart health and overall health. Take the time to relax and calm your mind every day. You can enjoy your hobbies, meditate, or do something fun.

7. Get Enough Sleep

How to maintain a healthy heart you need to do is to maintain the quality of your sleep. Don't make it a habit to go to bed late at night and wake up during the day, or stay up late without a clear purpose.

You need to know that sleep is time for your body to rest. If you often sleep late at night or stay up late, your body's biological clock will be damaged. This condition can cause blood pressure to rise and inflammation, which can increase the risk of heart disease.

So, try to go to bed early and wake up early every day, even if you are on vacation. Get rid of anything that can disturb your sleep at night, such as playing with your phone or watching tv. Make sure you sleep at least 7-8 hours per day.

8. Avoid sitting too long

Sitting all day facing the computer not only makes your body sore, but also lowers your heart health. The reason is, sitting for too long can cause blood clots that can worsen blood circulation in the body.

If you do spend time working in a sitting position, don't forget to do stretching exercises at work or at home. Another way to maintain a healthy heart that you can try is to take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk down the yard or office corridor. That way, you stay active even if you have to work.

Can heart disease be cured?

Heart disease is one of the most common causes of death, in addition to cancer. This disease does not only attack the heart, but also the vessels and muscles around it.

Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease cannot be cured. That means, someone who is diagnosed with this disease, will continue to have this disease throughout his life. Even so, researchers continue to carry out further research to find answers to whether heart disease can be cured or not.

Reporting from the Cleveland Clinic website, recent studies are developing stem cell therapies to cure heart disease.

In this therapy, the damaged cells in the heart will be stimulated to regenerate (recover from damage). The trick is to reduce cell damage by releasing local hormones.

It's just that the tissue that has been repaired does not fully recover, it becomes a burden for the heart. The work of the heart will be heavier and this can increase the risk of heart failure, as a complication of heart disease due to disruption of electrical activity in the heart.