Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Heart disease comes in many forms, and it is important to know what conditions you are at risk of, and the symptoms they present. There are multiple conditions that fall under the umbrella of "heart disease."
A few types of heart disease are:
- 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺𝗶𝗮𝘀): Causes the heart to beat irregularly.
- 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 (𝗖𝗔𝗗): Caused by hardening of the arteries.
- 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲: Develops after the heart becomes damaged or weakened.
- 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: Due to abnormalities in valves, walls, muscles, or blood vessels of the heart.
We know that this reality is a scary one, but there are always things you can do to lower the risk of developing heart disease. A few great "self-care" lifestyle changes will improve your overall well-being and help keep your heart happy and healthy! Start taking care of your heart and body now by:
- 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀: Drink plenty of water, cut back on sugary drinks, and make sure you're getting plenty of protein, fruits/veggies, and whole grains!
- 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁/𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: Make it a priority to get at least 30 min of moderate exercise daily. Get moving in a way that works for you! Some activities may include going for a walk, swimming, jumping rope, or dancing.
- 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲: Cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes are all highly addictive due to nicotine. These products can be attributed to causing multiple types of cancer and harms nearly every organ of your body (including the heart!) Smoking in particular damages blood vessels and increases your risk of CAD and clots.
We close out this #AmericanHeartMonth with this information to urge you to continue to be proactive in keeping your heart healthy! Share this information with friends and family and remember to take care of #OurHearts.
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