Humans are indeed a marvel creature. Starting from cells to the system, all of this works efficiently allowing humans to live and survive. Any disruptions to the cells, organs and system of the body can lead to minor or major health issues. One of the vital organs such as the heart plays an important role in a human life. A healthy heart starts from good heart health. Hence, taking preventative measures such as having an active lifestyle, good stress management and practising good eating habits can go a long way in preserving the heart and other organs making the body system.
Do you know that the leading cause of death in the world is heart disease? Approximately 19 million people around the world die from heart diseases annually. Heart disease is a common disease of the modern world due to unhealthy habits including food with low nutrition value and sedentary lifestyle. This is made worse by smoking and excessive alcohol drinking. Ultimately, this may lead to a person to have high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. Such are risk factors triggering heart diseases. A person is at risk for heart disease as they grow older.
Here are 5 interesting facts about heart disease that may surprise you:
1) Every 40 seconds, a person has a heart attack. – Unfortunately, a person dies from a heart attack due to late medical intervention and not knowing the sign of a heart attack. This is made worse by the fact that 1 in 5 heart attacks are silent ones. Hence, it is best to get regular health screening in order to identify risk for heart attack and make changes in their life to lessen the risk.
2) Sitting is an independent risk factor for heart diseases. -It is wise to decrease the sitting time throughout the day and make exercise a habit. It is as simple as taking a walk after having dinner or following along with an exercise video for 30 minutes first before watching your favourite show on the sofa.
3) Women under the age of 50 are two times more likely to die from a heart attack compared to men. -Two out of three women who die from heart attacks have never experienced chest pain prior to the heart attack. Younger women tend to ignore heart attack symptoms and delay seeking treatment as they believe they have less chance of a heart attack compared to men. Furthermore, heart attack symptoms are more typical in women than men, making it easier for heart attack symptoms to be recognised. Thus, knowing risk and status of heart health is vital although a person never experienced symptoms of heart diseases.
4) Spending time with friends, family or loved ones can lower risk for a heart attack. -Studies show that people living on their own are two times more likely to have a heart attack compared to people who live with someone else. Regular social interaction and connectivity through spending time with loved ones can help reduce stress and prevent depression. Stress and depression are risk factors for heart diseases. Plus, laughing during social interaction is proven to help with heart health.
5) There are 60 percent chances that you will have high blood pressure once you reach 80 years old. -Ageing process causes the blood vessels to become stiff and hard. This makes the blood circulation become inefficient and causes high blood pressure. The problem with high blood pressure is a person may not feel any changes until the pressure is too high and causing other problems such as stroke and heart disease. Thus, it is important to get blood pressure checked on a regular basis.
