Focusing on Your Heart and Steps for Improving Your Heart Health

Heart Disease, or cardiovascular disease, is the number one cause of death in the United States and impacts one in five Americans today. Major risk factors for developing heart disease are high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, and smoking. Having a family history of heart disease can also put one at greater risk for developing the disease. It is also important to note that heart disease and its risk factors impact some racial and ethnic minorities at higher rates. For example, research shows Black men are 70% more likely to have heart failure than white men and Hispanic adults are more likely to have heart disease than white adults.

While heart disease is a serious and growing problem across the United States, lifestyle factors, such as what you eat and how you exercise, are great ways to lower your risk. This article will help you understand the types of heart disease and the actions you can take to keep your heart healthy.

Defining Heart Health

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is the number one cause of heart disease, and around 50% of Americans have high blood pressure. Hypertension means that the pressure in our arteries is too high, which causes our heart to work harder to pump blood. Surprisingly, most people with high blood pressure do not have any symptoms. If left untreated, those with hypertension have an increased risk of heart disease, a stroke, or a heart attack. The best way to know if you have hypertension is to _have your blood pressure checked by your healthcare provider.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease. This is when plaque builds up inside the arteries. When this happens, blood has a harder time getting through because the arteries become narrow. Over time, this can lead to the heart not receiving enough blood, which can cause chest pain. If the plaque build-up becomes severe, it could lead to a full blockage, or a blood clot, which could lead to a heart attack.

Heart disease can also lead to a stroke. Strokes caused by heart disease happen because blood clots are blocking oxygen from getting to the brain or by high blood pressure causing blood vessels in the brain to both. Both are serious, and you can find out more about strokes here.

Ways to help your heart

1. Making lifestyle changes is a great way for older adults to reduce their risks of heart disease. Eat a heart healthy diet. This means a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. The DASH diet and Mediterranean diet are fitting examples of foods to eat in high amounts.
   • Vitamins and minerals provide us with the nutrition necessary to stay healthy.
   • Dietary fiber can help lower our bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise our good cholesterol (HDL). This will help reduce the risk of plaque build-up in our arteries.
   • Lean proteins like skinless poultry, non-fried fish, and cuts of meat with little fat (sirloin, loin, top round) have a smaller amount of saturated fat, which will also reduce the risk for plaque build-up.
   • Healthy fats include oils that are liquid at room temperature, avocados, nuts, and seeds. These are considered protective of our heart.
   • Limiting ultra-processed foods and foods high in added sugar can also lower your chances of heart disease.
2. Exercise. This can help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, assist with weight management and stress. The goal is to exercise around 150 minutes each week. If this number seems high, start slow. You can add in some extra steps here and there. If you have limited mobility, you can do chair exercises like yoga or stretching. You can find events like this at your local Archwell Health center.
3. Get enough sleep. The goal for sleep is 7-9 hours each night. This can help with stress and weight management. Getting too little sleep has been shown to increase your risk of developing heart disease.
4. Achieve a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can put you at an increased risk of heart disease. Gradual weight loss can help increase your good cholesterol and lower your bad cholesterol. This will help reduce plaque build-up in your arteries and lower your risk of a heart attack. Weight loss can also help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of diabetes and help control existing diabetes.
5. Stress control. Stress can increase your blood pressure and make it more difficult to follow a healthy diet. Some ways to manage stress may be reading a book, meditation or yoga, journaling, working on a puzzle, or knitting and crocheting. Or this could be a walk with family or friends or an activity at Archwell Health’s community room.
6. Reduce other risk factors. Smoking and alcohol can increase your risk of heart disease. If you are a smoker, it is recommended to quit. Excessive alcohol drinking can also cause damage to your heart.

Not all changes have to happen overnight. Being mindful of what changes you can make and working on one or two things at a time can help you reach your goals. Many of these suggestions can go together. For example, changing your diet to include more healthy options may also help achieve gradual weight loss, reduce stress and be more motivated to exercise.

Talk to Your Provider About Statins

Statins are a type of medicine that can lower your bad cholesterol and prevent plaque buildup. Statin medication has been found to be very effective at preventing and treating heart disease in adults between ages 40 and 75. Even if you have never had a heart attack or stroke this medication could be a good fit for you. Talk to your primary care provider about how Stains can keep your heart healthy at your next appointment.