How To Check Heart Health At Home?

The heart is regarded as the most crucial organ in the body. However, it is critical to maintaining the health of this organ because, for various reasons, the arteries of the heart can become blocked internally, causing a person to experience medical conditions like cardiac arrest or a heart attack, which can be fatal. 

Some symptoms, such as tiredness and shortness of breath, can be reduced earlier in such a situation. However, these symptoms frequently go unnoticed by individuals.

Maintaining heart health in all aspects, from blood pressure to cholesterol levels and beyond, is critical. While some heart health metrics should be left to professionals, others can be easily checked at home. Keeping up-to-date track of your heart health can help you avoid or detect problems. By assessing the problems, you can then work on required treatments, diet management, or cardio training. 

Table Of Contents

1. An Overview Of Heart Disease

2. How To Check Heart Health At Home? 

3. 11 Tips For Heart Health Tips

4. Dietitian’s Recommendation

5. The Final Say

6. FAQs

An Overview Of Heart Disease 

Heart failure is a medical condition that causes the heart not to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. In addition, because of plaque that has formed on the heart arteries' inner walls, the heart's arteries can become narrowed and hardened. A heart attack occurs when the plaque ruptures and a clot blocks the arteries. 

Normal heart failures occur when an attack does not occur, but sufficient oxygen and nourishment are not sent from the heart to the entire body, resulting in fatigue and tiredness. In these cases, the body fails to pump out wastes, accumulating in the lungs and lower body parts such as the legs and abdomen.

How To Check Heart Health At Home? 

A few ways suggested by the experts are as follows:

1. Stair test

According to a recent European Society of Cardiology study, climbing four flights of stairs in under a minute indicates good heart health.

A stair test is an easy way to assess your heart health. If it takes you more than one and a half minutes to climb four flights of stairs, your health is poor, and you should see a doctor."

The main purpose of this case was to understand and investigate the relationship between daily activity, such as stair climbing, and the results of laboratory exercise testing. The goal was to develop a simple, low-cost method of assessing heart health. Because your home is unlikely to have four flights of stairs, you will need to conduct this test in an office or other building. 

2. Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise can help improve circulation and lower blood pressure and heart rate. "Although not as specific as the stair test, aerobic exercises are good to the general indicator of your heart health," says one researcher. This is also true if a light amount of aerobic exercise causes you to feel extremely tired. This is because there may not be enough oxygen in your blood travelling to your muscles.

3. Examining Your Pulse Rate

Your pulse rate equals the number of times your heart beats per minute. When the arteries in our heart get blocked, the pulse rate drops to a bare minimum, indicating that something is wrong with how the heart is beating. In this situation, you cannot check your pulse at home with an analogue watch. You must place your index and middle fingers on the hollow part of the other arm's innermost part of the wrist.

The fingers must be placed just below the base of the thumb. The number of tappings you feel inside is technically your heartbeat and can thus be referred to as the number of times your heart beats. You can do this for 60 seconds, and if the heartbeat is more than 100 beats in a minute or less than 60 beats per minute, something is wrong with the heart, and immediate treatment is required.

11 Heart Health Tips

1. Be Active

The best way to keep your heart healthy and young is to exercise. It is suggested that we all get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. This will keep your heart healthy and will also aid in weight loss. So, set aside some time for a good workout!

2. Reduce Your Intake Of Processed Foods

Processed foods harm our cardiovascular health. In addition, they can raise our risk of heart disease. As a result, try to limit the number of processed foods you consume daily.

3. Avoid Unhealthy Fats

Unhealthy fats can also increase our chances of developing heart disease. Limit the intake of saturated fats and trans fats. One method is to prepare your food with olive oil rather than vegetable oil.

4. Get Plenty Of Sleep

Getting enough sleep is crucial for maintaining good heart health. Studies show that less than six hours of sleep per night can cause a heart attack or stroke than those who get seven or eight hours!

5. Do Not Smoke

Smoking is another risk factor for heart disease and stroke. It can harm the heart muscle and raise blood pressure in the arteries surrounding it, leading to clogged vessels leading from one part of your body (such as an arm) up through another (like an artery in your heart).

6. Control Your Stress Levels

Stress can also be detrimental to our cardiovascular health. As a result, finding ways to manage your stress levels daily is critical. Yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises are examples of relaxing practices.

7. Consume Alcohol In Moderation

Moderate alcohol consumption is generally regarded as heart-healthy. However, it is important to remember that excessive alcohol consumption can increase our risk of heart disease and stroke. Take good care of your heart, and drink responsibly!

8. Keep Track Of Your Blood Pressure And Cholesterol Levels

It is critical to regularly monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol levels to maintain good heart health. If they are high, you may need to make some dietary or lifestyle changes to bring them down.

9. Consume One Extra Fruit Or Vegetable Per Day

Try to consume one extra fruit or vegetable each day. Fruits and vegetables are cheap, tasty, and beneficial to everything from your brain to your bowels.

10. Make Breakfast A Priority

Begin your day with fruit and whole grains, such as oatmeal, bran flakes, or whole-wheat toast.

11. Grab A Handful Of Nuts

Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and other nuts are heart-healthy. When you need a snack, try them instead of chips or cookies, and add them to salads for a healthy and tasty crunch.

Dietitian’s Recommendation

Remember that you can maintain your health and care for your body. Make healthy choices and lead a healthy lifestyle to keep your heart healthy. Following a healthy diet and lifestyle can easily maintain heart health. As a result, if you want a healthy heart, you must pay attention to what you eat.

-Dietitian Lavina Chauhan

The Final Say

If you incorporate these eight tips into your daily life, you will discover that heart-healthy eating is both doable and enjoyable. You should eat keeping your heart in mind if you plan and make a few simple substitutions.

FAQs

1. Which fruit is said to be best for heart health?

Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are jam-packed with nutrients that help aid heart health. 

2. What food makes your heart stronger?

Foods such as leafy greens (spinach, collard greens, kale, cabbage), broccoli, and carrots, Fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges, pears, grapes, and prunes, Whole grains such as plain oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain bread or tortillas are the foundation of a heart-healthy eating plan.

3. How can I tell if my heart is healthy?

Normal blood pressure ranges below 120/80 mm Hg, and high blood pressure is called systolic pressure, 130 or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 90 or higher, which stays high over time.

4. What food should a heart patient avoid?

Foods high in trans and saturated fats are bad for your heart. Avoid cooking with coconut, palm oils, butter, or margarine.

5. Which fruit is good for heart blockage?

Apple & bananas are the best fruits for heart blockage that help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. It contains antioxidants that help prevent blood clots from forming and causing a heart attack or stroke. Bananas are also a great fruit to eat if you have a heart blockage.

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