In the United States, nearly 610, 000 people die every year because of cardiovascular and heart diseases. In estimation, that is 1 out of 4 deaths. In this demography, more than half of the deaths caused by heart diseases were men. Having cardiovascular diseases is not a joke. As a matter of fact, it often goes silent; in other words, you won’t know and sense that you have one until you experience it. One reason why you should always have yourself checked even if you don’t feel ill. A recommendation is to have a general check up at least every three (3) to four (4) months.
However, although a lot of people are d***g of heart attack and stroke , we’re still getting cardiovascular disease just as often. In fact, multiple factors that put us at risk, such as diabetes and obesity, have become more common.
Read: A Month Before A Heart Attack, Your Body Will Give You These Signs
What’s happening to the world? Why is this amount plummeting?
One thing for sure is the technology that we have. Although technological advancements in the pharmacological side helps us survive, us having access to whatever we want by just sitting down is one problem. To tell you, the actual main cause of cardiovascular diseases would be unusual substance build up between our arteries to the heart. This makes blood flow to the heart more difficult.
What do you think causes our arteries to be blocked? If you’ve guessed it correctly, it’s fat. Another cause of a heart attack is a spasm of a coronary artery that halts blood flow to part of the heart muscle. Use of tobacco and of illicit d***s can cause a life-threatening spasm. A heart attack can also occur due to a tear in the heart artery (spontaneous coronary artery dissection). To add to that, blood clots can also be a culprit of cardiovascular diseases.
How can we decrease the risk of having cardiovascular and heart diseases?
There are in fact tons of ways on how you can decrease the risk of d***g due to heart diseases. And we’re not talking about surgeries, expensive medication, and such. We’re talking about doing something everyday and not forgetting it. As a matter of fact, we do a couple of these things normally without us even noticing that by doing it, we’re saving ourselves.
Ensure that you take Vitamin B Complex every morning
The B- Complex vitamin group is a group which plays an important role in cell metabolism. To give you a more concrete idea on what benefits it gives:
- It helps the body use carbohydrates from food to give you energy; and
- Needed for the health of the brain, muscles, and the nervous system
A study done in Switzerland regarding Vitamin B Complex was eye-opening. Swiss researchers asked more than 200 men and women to take either a combination of three (3) B vitamins (folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12) or a placebo after they had surgery to open their arteries. What they found was that levels of homocysteine, a substance linked to an increased risk of heart disease, were lower 40% in those who took the vitamins. The placebo group had no change. Moreover, the vitamin group had wider-open blood vessels than those taking the sugar pill.
Go to sleep earlier
Researchers from Harvard had a study that had 70,000 women. In that, they found that those who got less than seven (7) hours of sleep had a higher risk of developing different heart diseases. Professionals suspect that lack of sleep increases stress hormones,disrupts sugar levels, and increases blood pressure. However, it is imperative to watch your sleep as well; keep your overall snooze time under nine (9) hours. Why? Because the same study found women sleeping nine or more hours had a slightly increased risk of heart disease.Wow, sleeping too long can have other negative effects as well.
Walk or ride your bike at least 25 minutes a day
In a previous article, we said that walking everyday can improve your overall health. As a matter of fact, doing that can actually decrease your risk of developing cardiovascular problems and heart diseases. A research done in Germany had 100 men with mild chest pain, or angina, either exercise 20-30 minutes a day on a stationary bike or undergo an artery-clearing procedure called angioplasty, they found that a year after the angioplasty, 21 men suffered a heart attack, stroke, or other problem compared to only 6 of the bikers. In conclusion, exercising can clean up the veins and arteries and can ensure proper blood flow to and from the heart.
Add a teaspoon of ginger or turmeric to your meals
Ginger have anti-inflammatory capabilities that reduce fat in our hearts and arteries. One thing you can do is to add a few slices of ginger to your meals or boil it and drink it. You can add it to your meals by extracting it, though.
Read: 15 Food To Eat to Protect Yourself From Heart Attacks
Dark chocolate is a key ingredient
In a previous post, we said that eating dark chocolate can reduce your blood pressure. In this context, reducing blood pressure is a better part than not. Why? Because having a high blood pressure is one of the things that promote to cardiovascular concerns and heart diseases. These tremendous positive effects are likely due to chemicals in chocolate called flavonoids, which help arteries stay flexible.
Drink water at least every two hours
Another thing that will save you from heart diseases would be water. A study from Loma Linda University in California found that individuals who drank more than five (5) glasses of water a day were half as likely to die from a heart attack as those who drank less than two. Yes, there are peple who drinks less than three (3) glasses of water a day. More likely, this is due to the fact that maintaining good hydration ensures a better blood flow; dehydration can cause sluggish blood flow and increase the risk of clots forming.
Never hold going to the toilet if you feel like it
Ever noticed that forcing yourself to avoid the restroom makes your heart b**t faster than usual? This is actually true, researchers at Taiwan University found that a full bladder causes your heart to b**t faster; this puts added stress on coronary arteries, triggering them to contract. This could lead to a heart attack in people who are vulnerable. To conclude, whenever you feel like going to the loo, do not hold back. Go whenever you can.
Read: How Can You Reduce High Blood Pressure Without Any Medication? Here Are Some Tips
Cardiovascular and heart diseases are serious conditions. You should never disregard something if you feel it. Take my recommendation and have general check ups every now and then. You won’t know you have heart diseases until you experience them; don’t wait for that to happen. Follow these steps, reduce your chances of having it, and live a healthy life. Pass this on to people who you think need them and by doing that, you’re saving a life.
