Decoding Heart Disease: Recognizing Early Signs and Implementing Preventive Measures

Are you trying to live a healthier life for your heart and wondering what symptoms to keep an eye out for? If you are looking for exercises and other preventive measures to safeguard your heart health, then you have come to the right place. This informational piece will look at the early symptoms of heart diseases and what preventive measures you can take to ensure those symptoms do not become a part of your life.

Early Symptoms of Cardiovascular Diseases

Heart diseases or cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the cardiovascular system. The tests done to find these diseases range from ECGs to other scans but at home you can take some preventive measures such as an annual blood test and body work, alongside regularly monitoring your BP or blood pressure.


Yet, when should you go to a doctor? According to experts, early signs of heart disease could be pain in the chest, unexplained sweating, exhaustion, inability to walk or climb stairs or do any daily chores, and high blood pressure.


You should especially be vigilant if you have any comorbidities. Comorbidities are diseases that worsen existing problems. Associated comorbidities for heart diseases are obesity, diabetes, and sometimes underlying heart problems from birth. These can include diseases and disorders like HOCM, DCMP, etc. Men and older people are more at risk of heart disease. Those who live sedentary lifestyles, drink alcohol, or smoke are also at a higher risk of cardiac problems.


Another emerging issue is rheumatic heart disease, which has been associated with an episode of fever and sore throat in childhood. Yet, do not self-diagnose or panic, as there are several other symptoms of rheumatic heart disease, such as shortness of breath when lying down or swelling. It is essential to be careful if you have shortness of breath with activity, experience chest pain, and have swelling.


Heart diseases aren’t unavoidable for many of us. With the right lifestyle and proper precautions, including annual blood work and regular checkups, we can have healthy hearts.

Preventive Measures to Avoid Cardiac Disease

One of the best preventive measures to avoid heart disease as much as possible is to eat a balanced diet. Experts recommend a diet that has 60% carbs, 30% fat, 20% protein, and less than 10% saturated fats for adults. For children, the recommended diet contains 0% saturated fats with similar percentages of other macronutrients. A standard diet also avoids excessive salt, as that can lead to issues like high blood pressure. You should also avoid excess processed foods, especially ultra-processed non-vegetarian food, according to some sources. Some even recommend that you avoid alcohol and reduce trans fats, sugars, sugary beverages, highly refined carbs, and saturated fats such as those found in red meat, full-fat dairy products, palm oil, and coconut oil. Instead, they say you should include legumes and beans in your diet if possible.


Two diets recommended by top healthcare professionals are the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet, as they have shown potential benefits for heart health. However, at Apollo Hospitals, doctors will personalise the diet while making the necessary changes in these diet plans for maximising efficiency and acquiring optimal results.


Exercise is another important factor in keeping your body healthy. According to experts, a healthy exercise regime would be 150 minutes of exercise per week alongside 40 minutes of adequate aerobic exercise every day. Many experts recommend 30-60 minutes of daily movement, which could be in the form of gardening, housekeeping, and more.


Avoiding addictions like tobacco and smoking is another recommendation by experts, as chemicals in tobacco can result in damage to heart vessels, and smoking makes the heart work harder to supply oxygen to our body. Even if you do smoke, quitting can improve your heart health significantly.


Our hormones and overall health are also affected by something we often neglect in the hectic lives we live these days. This is getting quality sleep, which, according to experts, averages around seven to eight hours per night for adults and more for children. Not getting enough sleep can increase not only your chances of heart disease but also of comorbidities such as diabetes, which can make the situation much more dire. Create a sleep schedule and stick to it as far as possible. One important consideration is if you are sleeping enough hours but still feel lousy and tired throughout the day. This means you need to see a doctor and get tested for conditions that could prevent you from getting proper rest, like sleep apnea. While it could be a minor issue, it is best to ensure proper rest.


Our penultimate preventive measure is to reduce stress. Yes, we have come to a factor that many wish to dismiss, but science has proven it is important. In the fast-paced lives we live today, we have disconnected ourselves from leisure activities and nature. Healthy work-life balances are mocked, and we are expected to measure our worth by our productivity. While giving back to society is important, it is also important to take breaks, rest, and take care of ourselves. Stress produces hormones like cortisol and can also lead to depression and anxiety, which, coupled with unhealthy coping mechanisms, can increase the risk of heart disease. Hydration and movement, alongside support systems that can include therapists and spending time in nature or indulging in hobbies, can help.


Finally, you must prevent infections and live an overall healthy life, such as application of SPF and brushing your teeth properly, as this can boost your overall health.

Conclusion

Experts have recommended regular body checkups, especially blood tests such as those that measure cholesterol. Regularly monitoring our blood pressure can help us catch heart disease in time. We can prevent such diseases by eating healthy, indulging in adequate movement, listening to experienced medical professionals, reducing stress, and getting enough sleep. For more personalised advice and consultation, you can always visit the Apollo Hospitals and meet the board-certified doctors.