3 Things You Need To Know About Keeping Your Heart Healthy
Heart disease is very serious and is a very common occurrence. There are many factors that contribute to heart disease and there are certain things that you can do to protect yourself. Here are some things that you need to know about caring for your heart.
1. Start Young
One of the first things you need to know is taking care of your heart starts young. Too many people eat and do whatever they want and then only start to think about their heart health as they have become obese and have failed to care for themselves. It is much better if you can avoid build up around the heart and arteries by starting young. For example, if you have high cholesterol, you will need medication to lower it. Usually once you have lowered it you can manage it with diet and exercise, but you will probably need medication to initially get it lowered. Rather than take medication, you can prevent the build up in many cases by keeping yourself healthy while you are young and starting healthy eating and exercising habits now. This will only serve to protect you in the future.
2. Know Your Family History
Another important part of cardiovascular health is family history. Many people do not realize how much genetics play a role in a healthy heart and arteries. There are people who are thin, exercise often, and eat well who still have cardiovascular problems. This is because it is discovered that you can actually be born with a predisposition to have high cholesterol. Thus, if you know that your parents or grandparents struggle with cardiovascular problems, you need to get into the doctor and get tested right away. People who are in their 20s and 30s have discovered problems, thus, the earlier you can do it, the better.
3. Know The Signs
Lastly, you can protect yourself by knowing the signs that your heart is unhealthy. Some people wear continuous heart monitors, like watches, that take their heart rate, and even blood pressure throughout the day so that they can check when their heart is racing. Learn what it feels like to have high blood pressure and a racing heart, so that if you start to feel yourself deteriorate, you can seek medical attention.
Also, having small aspirin at your disposal will be very important. If you feel a heart attack coming on, take some aspirin until you can get to the hospital. For more information, talk to a professional like Summit View Clinic.