5 / 8
D E S T I N A T I O N
H E A L T H
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7
5
6
Relax your hear t.
When you’re
stressed, your breathing, heart rate and
blood pressure increase. Normally, that
helps you cope with whatever is tempo-
rarily triggering your stress. But if stress
becomes chronic, it can take a toll on your
5
Rest your heart.
It doesn’t stop beat-
ing, but your heart does need a break. That
comes during sleep.
According to the National Sleep Foun-
dation, you put your heart at risk if you
don’t get enough rest. Although experts
don’t fully understand the connection, too
little sleep has been linked to heart failure
and heart attack in adults.
Maintaining consistent sleep schedules,
keeping your bedroom dark and quiet, and
avoiding large meals and caffeine near
bedtime may help you sleep better. But if
you have ongoing sleep problems, speak
with your doctor.
7
Listen to signals from your heart.
It’s
not always easy to know when something
is wrong with your heart. It can take many
years for heart disease to develop, and you
might not have symptoms until the prob-
lem is serious. Sometimes, a heart attack
is the first indication of trouble. Signs and
symptoms of a heart attack include:
●
●
Chest pain or discomfort.
●
●
Pain, tingling or discomfort in the
arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach.
●
●
Shortness of breath.
●
●
Fatigue.
●
●
Nausea, vomiting or indigestion.
●
●
Sweating or cold, clammy skin.
●
●
A racing or uneven heartbeat.
●
●
Dizziness or lightheadedness.
If you think you’re having a heart at-
tack, call 911. Don’t wait to make the
call—prompt treatment may save your life.
Other possible signs and symptoms
of heart problems you shouldn’t ignore
include: chest pain that worsens with
physical activity and goes away with rest;
swelling in your feet, legs, stomach and
veins in your neck; or a heartbeat that is
too fast, too slow or irregular.
Let your doctor know if your heart is
signaling something is wrong. Treatments
can often help you feel better and keep
your ticker going for a long time.
Regular exercise may lower your blood
pressure and triglyceride levels and raise
your HDL levels. It may also reduce in-
flammation in your arteries—a risk factor
for heart disease—and help you manage
your weight.
Most people should get 150 minutes of
moderate-intensity exercise—any activity
that causes a slight increase in breathing
and heart rate, like brisk walking—spread
over most days of the week. Another
option is to get 75 minutes of vigorous
exercise, like running.
Choose activities you enjoy—you’ll be
more apt to stick with them. And start
slowly, especially if it’s been a while since
you exercised.
If you do smoke, one of the best things
you can do for your heart is to quit—no
matter how long you’ve smoked. It isn’t
easy to stop smoking, but it’s doable. With
a good plan, some people quit on their
own. But there are stop-smoking programs
and medications that can help as well. Ask
your doctor for quitting advice.
And keep this in mind: Just a year
after quitting, your excess risk of future
heart disease is cut in half. Fifteen years
after your last cigarette, it’s as if you never
smoked at all.
heart. That may be compounded if it causes
you to lose sleep or engage in unhealthy
behaviors, such as overeating, smoking or
drinking alcohol.
That’s why it’s important to find healthy
ways to manage stress.
Try to do at least one thing that you
enjoy every day. Even taking a fewminutes
to sit quietly and breathe deeply may help
you feel calmer.
Do your best not to overschedule
yourself, and try to avoid people or situ-
ations that upset you. If things become
overwhelming, talk with a mental health
professional.
4
Rid your heart of smoke.
You know
by now that smoking hurts the lungs. But
do you know that it also harms the heart?
In fact, smoking is a major risk factor for
heart disease. And the risk goes up even
higher if a smoker also has other risk
factors, such as high blood pressure or
unhealthy cholesterol levels.
Smoking lowers HDL (the good choles-
terol), can lead to blood clots and makes
it harder to exercise. And you don’t have
to smoke yourself for it to be problematic.
Simply being around others’ smoke puts
your heart at risk.
3
Feed your heart well.
Your entire body,
including your heart, is fueled by food. So
quality matters.
A heart-healthy diet includes
lots of delicious options,
such as:
●
●
Fruits, vegetables and whole
grains.
●
●
Fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
●
●
Skinless poultry and fish—especially
those containing omega-3 fatty acids, like
salmon and trout.
●
●
Limited amounts of lean red meat.
●
●
Nuts and legumes.
Also aim to eat fewer foods with so-
dium, added sugar and refined grains.
It’s best to limit saturated fat and trans
fat too, or to replace them with healthier
options, such as polyunsaturated and
monounsaturated fats.
HEART
GOING STRONG