From Gunnison to Charlotte, heart disease is identified as the leading cause of death among American men and women. More than half a million citizens succumb to this condition each year and it costs the U.S. $200 billion in health care services, medications, and salary for health workers.
While most Americans are doing their best to lead healthier lifestyles, they may be neglecting the links of their current conditions to heart disease. An experienced cardiology doctor in Gunnison cites some of them.
Stress
Smoking, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels contribute to heart diseases. Stressed-out individuals also happen to pick up one or some of these habits to deal with their conditions.
Too much stress can set off a chain of events that will keep the body in a constant state of pressure. Add bad coping habits to that mix and artery walls may sustain damage from continual high blood pressure.
Stress is unavoidable, but unhealthy coping mechanisms are. Eating healthier or choosing better food, devoting at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, and making the distinction between anxiety and stress will help a person manage the stress levels.
Lack of Sleep or Insomnia
Another crucial aspect of stress management is getting enough sleep every night. Poor sleep is linked to many chronic diseases. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart conditions, and a shortened lifespan are just some of the chronic problems that people who get less than nine hours a day of sleep may get.
Sleeping less than six hours or more than nine hours increases the risk of heart disease. Obstructive sleep apnea, a type of sleeping disorder, also increases hypertension, which in turn, may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The best cure for sleep deprivation is, obviously, to sleep for at least eight hours a day. Natural sleeping aids and bedtime apps are available to help people who have trouble sleeping. Sleep apnea masks unblock the air passageways of people with the condition when they go to bed.
Pregnancy Woes
Health problems during pregnancy are already troubling on their own. Problems that affect blood flow and heart rates bear the twin burden of affecting pregnancy and a woman’s cardiovascular health. Heart attacks aren’t the endpoint for most pregnancy complications, though other cardiovascular diseases are still possible.
Placental infarction, abruption and other dysfunctions, pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension and diabetes, and low birth weight are the chief pregnancy complications that doctors keep an eye on. Because problems from these conditions persist until after pregnancy, physicians insist that new mothers develop healthy habits to prevent further health problems.
Diabetes
Diabetes is often cited as a disease that can develop cardiovascular health problems. High blood glucose levels can damage blood vessels, while high blood pressure can strike at arteries. Obesity and high amounts of fat around the stomach also contribute to the development of heart disease. Younger people with diabetes have higher chances of contracting heart disease than their older counterparts.
Luckily, for most people, diabetes is an entirely avoidable disease. Lowering added sugar intake, reducing weight, keeping a keen eye on portion sizes, quitting smoking and drinking, and adopting active behaviors can prevent the onset of the costly disease.
Every cardiology doctor and health organization in the world is calling for scaled-up efforts to lower the prevalence of cardiology diseases around the world. Aside from individual precautions, such as heightened physical activity and healthier diets, medical professionals are also pushing for technical and legislative changes.