How to Take Care of Your Heart for this Valentine’s Day
The festival of love, Valentine’s Day, is coming. We believe that you already prepare surprise gifts for your loved ones. But if you are single, that is not a problem. Having a relationship or not, you should love yourself first, especially your heart. No matter how many times we are heartbroken, nothing hurts us if we have a strong heart. Let’s see how to take care of our hearts for this Valentine’s Day.
Check controllable and uncontrollable risk factors of heart disease
Nobody wants to have a heart disease. If you can manage controllable risk factors, you can mitigate the risk of having heart disease. There are 2 risk factors for heart disease.
1. Uncontrollable factors
- Age: Risk of heart disease is higher based on increasing age.
- Genes: If parents or relatives have heart disease, you might have a risk of heart disease.
- Gender: Males have a higher risk of heart disease than females.
2. Controllable factors
- Hypertension: The heart is working harder to pump blood for the body.
- Smoking: Smokers are at risk for heart disease more than non-smokers 2 – 4 times.
- Lipid profile: Risk of heart disease is higher because of thickening arteries from fatty substances.
- Diabetes: It causes deteriorating blood vessels.
- No exercise: Regular exercise prevents coronary heart disease.
- Obesity: High cholesterol and fat cause thickening blood vessels and narrowed arteries, making it difficult for blood to flow through them.
Source: Vichaivej International Hospital Nong Khaem
Check your waist and belly
You should regularly check your waist and belly because your waist shows risky signs of coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
These diseases are developed from high lipids which are not good for your health. So, you should measure your waist.
- Males should have a waist size of up to 36 inches (90 cm).
- Females should have a waist size of up to 32 inches (80 cm).
If your waist size is more than the healthy waist size above, you need to reduce it or lipids to prevent any diseases.
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As you know, controllable factors are your lifestyle that affect the risk of heart disease. Let’s see high-risk behaviors, change your lifestyle, and better take care of your health.
- Fast food lovers: Shabu-shabu, fried foods, fatty foods or instant foods are a quick way to have heart disease because they contain high fat, high sodium, and low nutrients.
Tips: You should eat 5 main food groups that are boiled, grilled or steamed, and focus on eating high-fiber foods such as vegetables and fruits. And you should avoid eating processed foods and fast foods.
- Smokers: 1 or 2 cigarettes or many packs cause higher risk of heart disease than non-smokers 2 – 4 times. There is a risk of coronary heart disease because of nicotine, carbon dioxide and hydrogen cyanide.
Tips: Do not stop smoking abruptly. You should reduce daily smoking and avoid places or people that will trigger your needs. A better way is consulting with a physician.
- Drinkers: Especially binge drinkers, you should be aware that alcohol increases triglyceride, sugar level, pressure level which might lead to heart attack, stress cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmia.
Tips: It might be hard for binge drinkers to stop abruptly. You should start drinking alcohol with fresh water, or reduce drinking and set target. Moreover, you should avoid environment that triggers your needs. Alcoholic persons should not stop drinking abruptly because it might trigger alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
- Stress: If you are stressed due to work, life or others that triggers intrusive thoughts, please be careful. Stress releases adrenaline making your heart beat faster and high blood pressure. Meanwhile, cortisol raises blood sugar and cholesterol. These factors negatively affect coronary arteries acutely and chronically.
Tips: You should find the root cause of stress, practice meditation or travel for relaxation and release stress. If such methods do not work, you should meet a physician to get treatment.
A strong heart starts with yourself. Change your behavior to avoid heart diseases.
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Source: Data retrieved on 03/02/2022
🔖 Bumrungrad hospital (Data as of 24/01/2009)
🔖 Phyathai Hospital (Data as of 07/04/2020)
🔖 Bangkok Biz News (Data as of 24/06/2019)
🔖 Thai Health (Data as of 03/06/2010)