Your lifestyle and everyday activities can determine the condition of your heart, putting it at risk.
Maybe you don’t smoke or drink, you eat healthy, and you even engage in one form of exercise or another; it might interest you to know that there are several ways we can put our hearts at risk without even being aware.
Even when you are in general good health, some innocent activities you perform on a day-to-day basis can be dangerous to your heart, and here are 7 you should be aware of.
1. Listening to loud music
Prolonged noise exposure has been found to do some damage to the heart. People who work in noisy environments for long hours face a significant increase in heart health risk.
2. Exposure to polluted air
In fact, exposure to traffic and air pollution can take the blame for about 5 to 7 percent of all heart attacks worldwide, according to a study in The Lancet, as seen in Science Direct. Take extra precautions to reduce your inhalation of smoke and other polluted air.
3. You skip out on sleep
Over time, chronic sleep deprivation increases your adrenaline and stress hormones, jacking up your heart rate and blood pressure and overloading your heart, says cardiologist Justin Trivax, M.D., medical director of the Cardiovascular Performance Clinic at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. So get as much rest as possible every night.
4. You exercise too much
Though both regular heart-pumping cardio and muscle-building strength training are critical for proper cardiovascular function, it’s possible to take things too far.
5. You are not on the move enough
Regardless of your workout habits, hours spent glued to your seat also pose a cardiovascular danger. Researchers are still working to understand why but believe it might be due to decreases in blood flow and reduced efficiency in turning blood sugar into energy.
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6. You consume too much sugar
You know you should ditch sugar and fried foods from your diet, but if you’re not adding some fins and scales, you could still be at risk of a deadly heart incident.
The populations around the world who eat the most seafood tend to have the best heart health, likely because they get adequate amounts of essential omega-3 fatty acids.
7. You ignore warning signs
Not every heart attack or other cardiac event comes with crushing chest pain or shortness of breath. Some symptoms, such as fatigue, pain in the jaw or neck, nausea, or lightheadedness, can sneak up more stealthily.
Though these warning signs often have other causes—especially in young, healthy men—they’re worth a conversation with your doctor, especially if you have a family history or other risk factors.