9 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Heart Health!

Here’s a little homework for you! Stand in front of the mirror and clench your palms together. Feels compact, doesn’t it? It’s also warm! Wow, that’s the size of your ticker. It’s amazing how such a small organ helps you with all your day-to-day activities, from walking to work, enjoying hot sex, going on a climbing spree, and everything in between.

There’s no action of yours that doesn’t happen under your heart’s watchful eye. It’s not like when one arm is hurt, you can use the other to do your work, while the injured one heals. The constant lub-dub is the sole sign that you’re alive and kicking.

Do you know how many babies are born with heart disease? In the USA, there are around 40,000 births each year.

We’ve charted below, a handful of your seemingly innocuous activities that place a horrible strain on your shiny and strong ticker, and ways to fix them:

1. You need to sit less for a stronger, healthier heart !

Spending too much time on your bum—whether sitting at a computer or watching TV on the couch—increases the risk of heart attack, even if you frequently exercise. A rise in your weight, waist size, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol are all associated with sitting for more than 2 hours every day. Every hour that you spend sitting can increase the risk of your heart attack by 26%.

So, substitute 2 hours of standing for 2 hours of sitting!

Persuade your colleagues to opt for “standing meetings” instead of regular ones. Instead of relying heavily on phone communications, walk over to your coworker’s desk for a chat. Have most of your conversations while standing. During leisure time, like watching TV, cooking, doing laundry, sorting mail, talking on the phone, or waiting for transportation, incorporate standing into these activities.

Here’s a 7-Minute, Heart-Opening stretch from MyFat Diet, to help you shorten your sedentary bouts:

2. Your Mouth-Heart connection affects your Heart-Health!

Every time you eat or drink, plaque develops on your teeth. Plaque is nothing but a tiny mixture of leftover food, bacteria, and saliva. If you’re someone who has a habit of late-night snacking and doesn’t brush or floss thoroughly, this sticky plaque remains on your teeth for a prolonged period. As a result, it releases acids that eventually lead to dental caries, swollen and irritated gums, and occasional bleeding. When your blood gets exposed to these toxins and germs from your mouth, a heart attack becomes an unfortunate outcome.

3 simple strategies to reduce the quantity of tooth plaque!

1. Drink plenty of water and rinse your mouth with mouthwash or warm water after eating. This way, you can prevent the bacteria in your mouth from developing into plaque.

2. Floss at least once daily and brush your teeth twice daily or after each meal.

3. If you notice any specks of blood while brushing, do not ignore them. Seek early treatment for your gums and schedule an appointment with your dentist.

3. Your waist size matters, not your weight!

Your weight has been a heavily discussed topic for the past two or three decades. Whenever you watch TV or read something on your phone, you can’t help but notice the overwhelming advertisements for a wide range of weight loss products competing in the market. From detox teas to slimming belts to protein shakes, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. However, there is not much awareness when it comes to your waist circumference (WC).

According to research, your WC is far more crucial for your heart health than your body weight!

Visceral fat, which consists of small pockets of fat deep inside your belly, surrounds your internal organs, such as the liver, causing your belly to protrude outward. This “soft” belly fat is more dangerous than fat in other areas, such as the arms or thighs. It exhibits greater metabolic activity and releases stress hormones like cortisol, impacting your heart health in ways you may not fully realize. Soft belly fat can eventually increase your blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and the risk of developing heart diseases.

4 Feasible ways to keep your WC under control!

Set a weekly workout goal of 150 minutes. That may be, for instance, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. You can also break it up into sporadic chunks of 10 or 15 minutes.
During the day, add brief walking intervals. Take the stairs instead of the lift, cycle or walk to work and move about when on the phone. Although these actions may appear little, the calories consumed can mount up and increase your daily calorie expenditure. You will be able to lose some of your stubborn tummy fat this way.

Concentrate on wholesome, unadulterated foods. Remove all sugary beverages from your pantry and refrigerator. Specifically, sodas, energy drinks, and speciality coffees. Avoid sweets such as ice cream, chocolate, and cookies.
Stay away from highly refined grains such as those found in breakfast cereals, white spaghetti, hamburger buns, pizza, and Bolognese spaghetti. Instead, eat small amounts of nutritious grains like quinoa or brown rice.

4. Self-Compassion helps your heart protect itself!

Accept both your virtues and your shortcomings. This is a key component of self-compassion. It keeps you upbeat and helps you to recover more swiftly from your failures.
Develop higher levels of self-compassion. Intriguingly, a study found that women who were more self-compassionate had carotid artery walls that were thinner and had less plaque buildup. Over time, their heart health improves and their risk of heart attacks declines.
Just add a neutral “but” after every negative idea. You’ll need to practice first. It may be difficult to end each of your negative ideas with a “but” when you’re just getting started. However, with repeated practice, your brain will establish new neural connections and develop the habit of automatically adding “but” to every negative thought, changing it into a positive one.
Develop a stronger feeling of purpose in life. According to a study, those who value compassion and spirituality more than materialism, are less likely to get heart diseases than those who have a weaker sense of purpose.

5. Literally speaking, stress can break down your heart health!

Did you know that sadness and grief can trigger a heart attack?

Surprisingly, stress brought on by grieving may cause your body to overproduce hormones, primarily cortisol, which makes you to ache hard. Your heart muscles begin to weaken under abrupt, intense stress.

On top of that, your heart’s muscles could overwork themselves when the hormone adrenaline is abruptly released in response to stress. Adrenaline has the potential to constrict the tiny arteries that provide oxygen-rich blood to your heart. Fortunately, this illness cures quickly on its own, likely in a matter of weeks or days.

It’s natural to be outraged and indignant at the injustice of it all while you’re mourning a loss, or to be in a state of disbelief. Whatever emotions arise, criticizing or suppressing them will only exacerbate the situation.

Self-care, acceptance, and social support can help you cope with your loss. One way to accept and process whatever is happening is through the practice of meditation.

Here’s a brief meditation about grief:

6. Snoring can be a sign of unhealthy heart!

At the end of the day, a glass of wine may help you unwind, but it won’t make your sleep better. You may snore loudly if you drink alcohol because it relaxes the muscles in your airway.

Back sleeping naturally results in the jaw and tongue dropping into the throat, which can exacerbate snoring.

Try sleeping on your side, raise your head with a few pillows or a foam wedge, or use an adjustable bed to lessen snoring.

The soft tissues in your throat may collapse and impede your airway if you have obstructive sleep apnea, a serious medical condition. Periodically during the night, your breathing can stop, and you might wake up gasping or choking.

Daytime fatigue, erection dysfunction (ED), or even heart problems might result from it if left untreated.

7. Meditation gives your heart, a chance to rest!

For example, you’ve just installed a brand-new cutting-edge alarm system in your home. Similarly, your body possesses a high-tech alarm system known as stress. When you are under stress, your brain prompts you to fight or flee by releasing the hormone adrenaline.

Because of the adrenaline spike, you filter out any sounds that isn’t a clear threat. You’ll be able to focus solely on what’s in front of you, with your heart literally in your mouth, ready for a swift action. This kind of poking and pushing actions of the adrenaline might benefit you only once in a while.

When you’re constantly worried about your annual evaluation, when the notion of dying makes you shudder, when you lose loved ones, or when you’re under extreme stress, all of these things may elevate the poker-pusher hormone, adrenaline. It can cause sleep disruption as well as a surge in your heart rate and blood pressure.

Establish a “relaxation response” by practicing meditation twice a day for 10 to 20 minutes each time!

Meditation helps you become less reactive to stressful situations and strong emotions. Rather than battling them or giving in to them, it teaches you to remain calm under pressure, breathe deeply, and behave sensibly. Here’s a guided sleep meditation to relax your heart, thereby lowering your blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety:

8. Leg stretches-5 times a week- helps heart!

Your risk of heart attack and stroke is increased by stiff arteries and inadequate blood flow. You can bring down such dangers by doing passive leg stretches at least 5 days a week.

A passive stretch is any stretch that involves the use of external support, such as a partner, a resistance band, or gravity!

According to research, passive stretching can significantly improve your blood flow, artery dilatation, and the stiffness in your joints. Try this simple 10-minute passive yoga stretch, whenever your legs are tight:

9. DST may increase the risk of heart attack!

During Daylight Saving Time, when it is darker in the morning and brighter in the late evening, you might have a harder time falling asleep. Your circadian cycle is disrupted by this 60-minute fluctuation, despite the fact that it might seem inconsequential.

A study indicated a 24% higher probability of a heart attack on the first Monday after the start of Daylight Saving Time in the spring. Surprisingly, the risk dropped dramatically during the next week.

Here’s how to make the DST change, less difficult on your ticker:

Start modifying your sleep routine the week before DST. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier each morning, a week before the arrival of Daylight Saving Time. This way your body will have ample time to adjust. For example, if your typical bedtime is 11 p.m, go to bed at 10:45 on the Monday before DST begins. The next night, try to go to bed at around 10:30. Repeat this until you reach the one hour mark.