SHAFAQNA-Did you know that simple day-today habits could lead to cardiovascular ailments? Cardiologists and general physicians say that some seemingly harmless habit, actually have a profound effect on your heart.
And no, this list does not include the leading and well-known causes like smoking, having red meat and lack of exercise, timesofindia.indiatimes.com wrote.
Read on to find out more….
‘Sleep isn’t that important’
Optimum, uninterrupted sleep is of utmost importance.
Dr. S Ramnathan Iyer, consultant sleep medicine said, “There’s a direct link between sleep and heart health.
“Patients of OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) are prone to develop high blood pressure and heart attacks. In fact it is advisable to evaluate patients of high blood pressure, angina, heart attack, heart failure for OSA.” Sleeplessness can lead to a constant state of stress.
‘I am a regular snorer’
Snoring can lead to a condition called OSA. Iyer said, “OSA is when the relaxed throat muscles block the airway numerous times during night depriving your body of oxygen. In the long run, snoring and OSA can lead to serious health disorders like high blood pressure, heart attacks and even strokes.
‘I binge watch TV to relax’
Sitting and binge watching television daily is worse than smoking claim researchers.
Experts say that getting up and moving every 30 minutes, are essential because no matter how long and how much you exercise, sitting at one place for a long time is bad for your heart and is a risk factor for early death.
‘I am constantly under work pressure’
Senior interventional cardiologist, Dr. Nilesh Gautam said, “Tame your stress. Long-term stress causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure that may damage the artery walls. Learning stress management techniques benefits your body and your quality of life. Try deep breathing exercises and find time each day to do something you enjoy.”
‘I cannot eat without using table salt’
Senior cardiologist Dr. Santosh Kumar Dora said, “Sodium retains water, so high sodium in the blood will retain water and increase the blood volume. This puts stress on the heart and may lead to heart failure. Heart failure is when heart is unable to pump enough blood as per the need of the body.”
‘I don’t bother much about diet’
Your diet plays an important part in maintaining your heart health. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish nuts and legumes non-tropical vegetable oils. Limit intake of saturated fat and trans fat and replace them with the better fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
‘I don’t floss’
Studies say that gum health is vital when it comes to keeping your heart heathy.
Dentist Dr. Elakshi Morey Gupta said, “Bacterial flora of oral cavity plays a vital role for the systemic health. There are many diseases that originate through oral routes. If infection in tooth spreads and enters the submandibular spaces or fascial spaces present in the neck, it could lead to life-threatening conditions too.”
‘I don’t know the signs of heart ailment’
If you are generally in a good mood, don’t smoke, exercise regularly, you may miss heart health warning signs. Many of us don’t know what our blood pressure or cholesterol levels are, even though these are risk factors that can lead to heart attacks.
‘I don’t like tea and also avoid coffee’
Researchers found that drinking tea regularly could lower the risk of heart disease and found that people who consume coffee regularly had a neutral effect on calcium build-up in the heart arteries.
‘I don’t have an OCD about hand washing’
There is accumulation of bacteria if hands are not washed thoroughly. And these settle down on the food we eat and then affect our general health and heart health too.