The sudden rise in the incidence of heart attacks in young adults has become a major cause of concern. The unhealthy dietary habits, mental stress, and lack of adequate physical activities are implicated as the common factors responsible for the rise in the risk of heart attacks in today’s younger generation.
Hence, there is a need to create awareness about the causes of a heart attack and how to avoid it. Here is a brief discussion about the most effective ways to avoid a heart attack at a younger age.
What is a Heart Attack?
It is an emergency medical condition that is usually caused due to the obstruction in the blood flow to the muscles of the heart.
The symptoms of a heart attack may vary among different patients. In some cases, the symptoms are mild, while some may have warning signs and symptoms for several hours, or days in advance.
The most common symptom is angina (chest pain), which usually occurs after exertion and is ameliorated by rest.
Some common signs of a heart attack include:
- Feeling of tightness, pressure, or pain in the chest usually spreading to the arms, neck, or jaw
- Breathing difficulties
- Nausea, abdominal pain, or indigestion
- Dizziness and fatigue
- Cold sweat
What are the risk factors for a heart attack in your adults?
- High Blood Pressure
- Unhealthy dietary habits
- Sedentary lifestyle
- High cholesterol
- Mental stress and depression
- Obesity
- Smoking and tobacco consumption
Doctors can attend our live respiratory webinars 2022 to know more about the risk factors for a heart attack in young adults and the most effective ways to avoid them.
What can you do to prevent a heart attack at a younger age?
Control blood pressure
An increased blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for heart diseases. It is important to keep a check on your blood pressure regularly.
Young adults should check their blood pressure at least once in 6 months or1 year. If your blood pressure is higher than the normal limits, you must seek the advice of a physician about the medications to be used, and dietary and lifestyle changes to be made to control blood pressure.
Keep cholesterol levels in control
An increase in the levels of cholesterol would clog the arteries and raise the risk of coronary artery diseases and heart attacks. Lifestyle changes and anti-lipemic drugs could lower your cholesterol level.
Similarly, the high level of triglycerides could also raise the risk of coronary artery diseases. Hence, it is important to check your cholesterol and triglyceride levels on a regular basis and seek treatment to keep these levels in control.
Maintain a healthy weight
Being obese or overweight could increase your risk of a heart attack substantially as these factors are linked to the other risk factors for heart diseases, including hypertension, increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight would lower these risks.
Eat a healthy diet
Limit your intake of saturated fats, and foods high in added sugars and sodium. Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, cereals, whole grains, and foods having a rich source of fibers to lower your risk of heart attacks.
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Regular exercise
Exercise would strengthen your heart and improve the blood circulation to the heart muscles. It would also lower blood pressure and cholesterol and help you maintain a normal weight. All of these would lower your risk of a heart attack.
Limit alcohol intake
Drinking too much of alcohol is known to raise blood pressure. It would also add extra calories to your diet, and cause weight gain. Both of these factors would increase the risk of heart attacks. Hence, young men and women should avoid alcohol intake.
Do not smoke
Active and passive smoking can raise your blood pressure and put you at a higher risk of a heart attack and even stroke. If you smoke, quitting the habit would lower your risk of a heart attack. It is advisable to talk to your healthcare provider for finding the best ways to quit smoking.
Manage stress and anxiety
Mental stress is linked to a higher risk of heart attacks in many ways. It would raise the blood pressure. Extreme emotional stress can also act as a "trigger" for developing a heart attack.
Moreover, some commonly adopted methods for coping with stress, like overeating, smoking, and heavy drinking, can worsen the cardiac health further. Hence, it is advisable to adopt healthy strategies like exercise, yoga, meditation, and listening to music to reduce mental stress and avoid the risk of a heart attack.
Manage diabetes
The high blood sugar level caused due to diabetes can result in damage to the blood vessels and nerves that control the activities of the heart and blood vessels. Thus, diabetes could raise your risk of developing cardiac diseases including a heart attack. Hence, it is important to get yourself tested for diabetes and keep your blood sugar levels in control.
Get enough sleep
Not getting enough sleep could raise your risk of heart attacks as well as its risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stress, and obesity. Make sure that you inculcate good sleep habits such as going to the bed at the same time every night to avoid these diseases.
Sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder, is known to cause patients to stop breathing briefly several times during sleep. This could interfere with their ability to get adequate rest and raise their risk of heart attacks.
If you have sleep apnea, seek proper treatment for this condition to protect yourself from the risk of heart attacks.
Conclusion
It is possible to avoid a heart attack and stay fit and healthy by following healthy dietary and lifestyle habits. You can attend our online respiratory Therapy conference to learn more about the impact of diet and lifestyle on the risk factors for a heart attack and the most effective ways to avoid this condition.