How lifestyle affects your heart and what you can do
Heart disease can be improved — or even prevented — by making certain lifestyle changes. Stop smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, especially atherosclerosis. Quitting is the best way to reduce your risk.
Control your blood pressure. Ask your doctor for a blood pressure measurement at least every two years. He or she may recommend more frequent measurements if your blood pressure is higher than normal or you have a history of heart disease. Optimal blood pressure is less than 120 systolic and 80 diastolic.
Check your cholesterol. Ask your doctor for a baseline cholesterol test when you’re in your 20s and then at least every five years. You may need to start testing earlier if high cholesterol is in your family. If your test results aren’t within desirable ranges, your doctor may recommend more frequent measurements. Most people should aim for an LDL level below 3.4 millimoles per litre (mmol/L). If you have other risk factors for heart disease, you should aim for an LDL below 2.6 mmol/L. If you’re at very high risk of heart disease — if you’ve already had a heart attack or have diabetes, for example — aim for an even lower LDL level — below 1.8 mmol/L.
Keep diabetes under control. If you have diabetes, tight blood sugar control can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Move. Exercise helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and control diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. If you have a heart arrhythmia or heart defect, there may be some restrictions on the activities you can do, so talk to your doctor.
Eat healthy foods. A heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugar — can help you control your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease. A BMI of less than 25 and a waist circumference of 35 inches or less is the goal. Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice techniques for managing stress. Deal with depression. Being depressed can increase your risk of heart disease significantly. Talk to your doctor if you feel hopeless. Practice good hygiene. Stay away from people with infectious diseases, get vaccinated against the flu, regularly wash your hands, and brush and floss your teeth regularly.
Coping and support
You may feel frustrated, upset or overwhelmed upon learning you or your loved one has heart disease. Fortunately, there are ways to help cope with heart disease or improve your condition. These include:
Cardiac rehabilitation. For people who have cardiovascular disease that’s caused a heart attack or has required surgery to correct, cardiac rehabilitation is often recommended as a way to improve treatment and speed recovery. Cardiac rehabilitation involves levels of monitored exercise, nutritional counselling, emotional support, and support and education about lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of heart problems. Support groups. Turning to friends and family for support is essential, but if you need more help, talk to your doctor about joining a support group. Continued medical checkups. Regularly check in with your doctor to make sure you’re properly managing your heart condition.