Human heart is situated under the rib cage, between the lungs and left of the breastbone. Our heart is an astonishing organ. Like a reversed pear, your heart beat normally at approximately 4800 times per hour, it’s just like a powerful pump that pumped about 4 – 5 liters of blood every 60 seconds to our body. Over the time many of us will ignore how to care about our heart. Some of the tips below will help you how to maintain good health of our hea
Stop smoking.
Smoking increases the risk of heart attack. Both tobacco and nicotine contain a variety of chemicals that are harmful to the circulatory and cardiac systems. All of these chemicals can cause atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a build-up of cholesterol, fat, and calcium plaques in your circulatory system, leading to arterial narrowing and reduced blood flow.
- Carbon monoxide contained in cigarette smoke is also associated with mortality and morbidity. [2] Carbon monoxide disrupts the oxygen structure. Thus, your heart is forced to work harder to supply additional oxygen. Narrowing of the arteries, as well as excess pressure in the heart, can cause a heart attack. The only way to stop this heart pressure is to stop smoking.
- In ASEAN nations, every hour there are 46 people who died from cigarettes. According to the Ministry of Health, 1 in 5 deaths of cancer deaths in the world is due to lung cancer, which is 70% caused by smoking habits.
Exercise regularly.
One way to strengthen muscles is with exercise, as well as for your heart. The following is the recommendation of the Heart Association of the United States:
- Moderate aerobic exercise for 30 minutes per day. This exercise will facilitate the circulation of blood in the body and improve heart health. Ideally done 5 days (150 minutes) per week.
- Or: high-intensity aerobic exercise for 25 minutes per day. Perform at least 3 days per week, for a total of 75 minutes per week.
- In addition to aerobic exercise, practice weight training for at least 2 days per week.
- Make a healthy routine. Start with what you can handle, then increase the difficulty systematically according to your ability. If your workouts are too heavy, your heart will suffer. If you have a health problem, consult a physician before starting exercising.
Maintain a healthy weight.
If your weight is excessive, your heart needs to work harder to keep your heart rate normal. This persistent excess pressure can lead to heart health problems in the future. You can reduce the weight that complicates the heart with exercise and a healthy diet. Heart problems that can arise from overweight conditions there are many, among which are:
- Coronary heart disease: a disease caused by an accumulation of plaque in the arteries connected to the heart. This accumulation of plaque causes narrowing of the arteries and reduces blood flow. Thus, the amount of oxygen supplied throughout your body is reduced. Your heart needs to work harder to send blood through that narrow channel, causing angina (chest pain due to oxygen deprivation) or even a heart attack.
- High blood pressure. Because your heart needs to pump harder in order to deliver sufficient amounts of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, your heart and heart channels will be damaged over time. The risk of your high blood pressure is greater if you are obese or overweight.
- If the plaque accumulated in your arteries is ruptured, this plaque can cause the formation of blood clots. If the blood clot is formed close to the brain, your brain will not get blood supply and oxygen and suffer a stroke.
Check blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly.
Thus, you will know clearly the health of your heart and can directly deal with problems that may arise.
- Check your blood pressure. You need to check your blood pressure regularly every two years. If your blood pressure is above 120/80, your doctor may suggest checking your blood pressure every year (or closer, depending on your blood pressure and other histories such as kidney problems, heart disease, etc.) Your workplace or pharmacy May also provide an automatic blood pressure checking machine. Use the tool as often as you want, to be an additional note when you consult a doctor. If your blood pressure is above 140/90 and your doctor does not know yet, you should consult your doctor as soon as possible.
- Find out your cholesterol level. All men over the age of 34 should be checked for cholesterol every five years. Checking cholesterol levels is done by taking blood samples and testing them in the laboratory. Your doctor will explain the results to you. If you have a risk factor that leads to a high trend of high cholesterol levels, you should be checked from the age of 20 years. Included in this risk factor is a family history of small family history or diabetes or heart disease. Depending on the outcome, your doctor may ask you to check your cholesterol level more often.
As when there is a problem with your heart. Lots of daily activities will be jeopardizing. So remember to love your heart.