As we are saddened and shocked to have learned about the demise of many popular personalities in the recent past and the reasons for their sad demise was heart attack and that too at a very young age.
Therefore What causes heart attack at young age has become a very serious topic to be discussed so that we can modify our existing lifestyle which has become increasingly stressed owing to our hectic work schedule.
Heart related ailments these days have become a major cause of concern and one of the eminent reasons of deaths in the young individuals in India.
The hectic lifestyle prevalent in cities have forced people to look out for temporary solutions for their stressed lives with increased aspiration for instant gratification. There is no denial of the fact that individuals these days are assiduous and aspire to prove their might in their professional world but it too cannot be denied that this tussle has led them to adopt a fast lifestyle that offers too little time for eating healthy, exercising, meditation, taking good sleep, taking breaks from work to relax mind etc.
This hectic and fast lifestyle leads to stress and to counter this stress one finds out temporary solutions that produces immediate results in the form of reduced tension and stress without even realizing for how long it will last and what adverse impact it might hold on one’s health in the longer run.
These temporary solutions might counter stress for a very short span of time and might offer temporary relaxation that separates one from the real state of problems but does not really eliminate them.
But one thing is for sure that these instant relievers have a long and lasting ill effects on one’s health in the long run. These instant relievers kick an individual into the pit of ailments that ultimately lead him/her death.
These instant relievers may be in the form of excessive intake of junk food to counter anxiety, drink alcohol, Smoke cigarettes or take drugs etc, but believe me these instant relievers hampers one’s health in the longer run and are a significant cause of death in individuals with Heart ailments being the prime reason.
Read some important facts on Heart Ailments:
- As per WHO Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death globally.
- In 2019 approximately 17.9 million people died from CVDs, i.e. 32% of all global deaths, of which 85% deaths were owing to heart attack and stroke.
- Approximate 75% of CVD deaths take place among low- and middle-income countries.
- 38% of the deaths owing to non-communicable diseases under the premature death category (i.e. People under the age 70) was due to CVD.
- Majority of the cardiovascular diseases can be avoided by putting a check to behavioral risk factors like eating unhealthy food, obesity, drinking alcohol, Smoking cigarette.
- Early detection of cardiovascular diseases or being aware of all the symptoms of such diseases can prepare one better to counter such ailments effectively well in time.
What are cardiovascular diseases and what are its types?
Well it is very important for us to understand that what are the major types of diseases that impact the heart and what can be done to avoid such situation.
Cardiovascular diseases are a set of disorders that have an adverse impact on the heart or over the blood carrying vessels to and away from heart.Cerebrovascular Disease –Disease that impact the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain.
Coronary Heart Disease – Disease that impact the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart.
Rheumatic Heart Disease –Disease that impact the heart muscle, valves from rheumatic fever( a fever where immune system of the body fights even the healthy cells)
Congenital Heart Disease – Disease owing to birth defects that affect the normal development and functioning of the heart because of wrong development of heart structure since birth.
Peripheral Arterial Disease – Disease that impact the blood vessels that supply blood to the arms and legs.
Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism – In this disease there are blood clots in veins of the legs and makes the blood flow difficult to heart.
What are lead causes of CVD’s ?
The major causes that leads to CVD is adoption of unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, stress etc. These impact the individuals in the form of raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and obesity. These conditions need to be checked in time so as to be timely informed of any potential unforeseen medical condition in future of risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure or any other complications.
Stress can increase your risk for heart attack:
Feeling stresses at all the time could prove to be dangerous for one’s heart. Constant stress is often linked to increase activity in the brain that lead to processing of emotions which may lead to development of heart or circulatory disease.
Constant high stress levels are as dangerous as smoking a cigarette. As per a research study after scanning the brain of highly stressed people the amygdala (the area of brain that deals with stress levels) sends the signal to the bone marrow to produce extra white blood cells which leads to inflammation of arteries that is cause of heart attack and strokes.
Therefore it is very important to keep the stress levels controlled one of the best way to keep the stress levels under check is to do Yoga when you feel stressed.
Also read: Effective proven techniques to counter stress
What can I do to lower my risk of heart disease?
CVD’s can be effectively avoided by adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes the below:
- Avoiding smoking cigarette
- Avoiding drinking alcohol
- Reduction of salt in the diet
- Eating more fruit and vegetable,
- Regular physical activity- such as running, brisk walking, playing sports etc.
- Meditation to reduce stress
- Keep Blood pressure levels under check
- Keeping constant watch on your cholesterol levels
- Take good sleep for 7-9 hours a day
- Limiting junk food and sugar drinks
- Continuously keeping BMI under check
Best Heart healthy foods for your heart
Green vegetables: Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce etc contains rich content of Vitamin K and nitrates that helps in reducing blood pressure and improves functioning of arteries, this helps in lowering the chances of heart attack.
Whole Grains: Whole grains include wheat, oats, brown rice, barley etc that contain high fiber and it helps in lowering the bad cholesterol i.e. LDL and hence lowers the chances of heart attack.
Berries: Berries such as blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are rich in antioxidants that help in keeping the bad cholesterol i.e. LDL under check and also helps in countering the stress that reduces the chances of heart attacks.
Avocados:
Avocados are rich in mono-saturated fats that are good for heart and are also a rich source of potassium that helps in lowering the LDL levels, reducing blood levels and helps in reducing the chances of heart attack.
Walnuts:
Walnuts are a great source of fiber and micronutrients like copper, magnesium and manganese which helps in reducing the high the blood pressure and keeps the LDL levels in check and lowers the chances of heart attack.
Dark Chocolates:
Dark Chocolates are a great source of antioxidants and flavonoids that helps in keeping the heart healthy. But the content of cocoa must be above 70% to be called as dark chocolate. Dark Chocolates lowers the risk of calcified plaque in the arteries and coronary heart disease.
Tomatoes:
Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene and have powerful antioxidant properties Studies have shown that tomatoes help in increasing the levels of HDL i.e. good cholesterol that helps in lowering the risk of heart diseases and strokes.
Almonds:
Almonds contain healthy mono-saturated fats that are good for heart and it also contains fiber in good amount that helps in keeping cholesterol levels under check and also helps in reducing the belly fat.
Garlic:
Garlic contains many medicinal benefits and contains manganese, selenium and vitamin C, minerals, including phosphorous, calcium, potassium, iron and copper and is also a rich source of Vitamin B6 which helps in reducing the bad cholesterol i.e. LDL and also helps in preventing clotting of blood in blood vessels and thus reduced the risk of heart diseases.
Green Tea:
Green tea is high in polyphenols and catechins which acts as antioxidants that prevents cell damage, reduces inflammation and helps in reducing the bad cholesterol, triglycerides and high blood pressure level.
Must read: My self developed technique to counter stress (must read once)
