HEART Healthy Tips

Beans and Nuts

Tat old chant “beans, beans they’re good for your heart” isn’t just a nursery rhyme. Beans are chock full of soluble fber, niacin, folate, calcium, magnesium, B-complex vitamins, and even some omega-3s. Nuts also contain omega-3s along with vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, good fats, and of course fber. Tey have also been shown to lower cholesterol levels in the blood.

Carrots

Carrots are also a good food to consume for heart health. Tey’re a great source of beta carotenes, which have been associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Carrots are a great snack to munch on between meals.

Some other great foods to include in a heart-healthy diet are spinach, broccoli, asparagus, red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, oranges, tomatoes, cantaloupe, papaya, dark chocolate, and tea.

Staying active

Seniors can help their hearts stay healthy by being more active during the day and adding exercises such as walking and using the stairs instead of an elevator.

Exercise is one of the primary ways we can keep our hearts healthy as we age. Keeping a healthy weight is also essential but fad diets, in general, have a very poor success rate. Eating a well-balanced diet along with exercise is a great combination for a strong, healthy heart and weight management. Tis doesn’t mean that you have to go out and run 10 miles. Moderate aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, dancing, or even water aerobics can help keep your heart strong.

Adding in resistance training with bands or dumbbells not only helps to build muscle, but it can also improve balance that can prevent falls. Whichever exercise you choose, try and create a structured exercise program within your physical limits to support a healthy heart, and always check with your doctor to make sure any exercise program is safe for you to begin.

Getting enough sleep

Certain sleep conditions can actually harm the health of your heart. Sleep apnea, a condition caused by airways temporarily collapsing during sleep, can afect how much oxygen your body is receiving. Low levels of oxygen can increase the risk for health problems such as heart attack, high blood pressure, and stroke. Being overweight is one of the main risks for getting sleep apnea. A study by John Hopkins showed that sleep apnea in middle-aged or elderly people can increase the risk of dying prematurely by 46%. (1) Talk to your doctor if you think you might have sleep apnea as several treatments are available that can help.

Insomnia is also connected to high blood pressure and heart disease. Lack of sleep or disturbed sleep can lead to higher levels of stress, unhealthy food choices, and being less active. Getting a good night’s rest can help your heart rate and blood pressure go down at night. A team at Harvard University did a study on sleep disruption in mice and found that afer 16 weeks the sleep-disrupted mice developed larger arterial plaques than the mice whose sleep patterns were not disrupted. (2) Sleep is vital for our bodies to rest and restore and can help our entire bodies function properly.

Stop smoking

Tis one seems like a bit of a no brainer but quitting smoking can be difcult for some given how highly addictive nicotine can be. However, nicotine has harmful efects on your heart and vascular system. It can cause increases in blood pressure and blood fow to the heart as well as narrowing in the arteries. Also, nicotine remains in your system for up to eight hours afer every cigarette.

Within 20 minutes of quitting smoking, your heart rate drops. Just 12 hours afer you quit, the carbon monoxide levels in your body return to normal. Tis in turn allows your blood to carry more oxygen to your heart. Four years afer quitting, the risk of you getting a stroke decreases signifcantly to the same level as a lifetime nonsmoker.

Know the symptoms of heart disease

It’s important to know the symptoms of heart disease so it can be caught early on. Seek medical attention if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Chest pain, numbness, or tingling (at rest and during physical activity)

• Headaches

• Shortness of breath

• Lightheadedness, dizziness or confusion

• Tiredness or fatigue

• Nausea/vomiting

• Cold sweats

• Swelling of the ankles, feet, legs, stomach, and/or neck

• Inability or reduced ability to exercise or be physically active

Understanding the risks

Your risk for heart disease may be higher if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, are overweight or obese, have pre-diabetes or diabetes, or smoke. Check your heart health regularly with the aid of your doctor. Regular checkups with your primary care physician or cardiologist are essential to keep your heart in good shape. Doing regular checks of blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels can also help to keep your entire body in balance.

1. Punjabi, Naresh, et. al. “Common Sleeping Disorder

Ups Changes of Dying.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, August 17, 2009

2. Swirski, Filip, et. al. “How Disrupted Sleep May Lead to Heart Disease.” Nature. February 13, 2019