Heart Awareness Month
September is ‘Heart Awareness Month’. As such, the month of September is dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease and its risk factors in South Africa, as well as the importance of living a healthy lifestyle to prevent the onset of heart disease.
Heart Awareness Month is commemorated on an annual basis in South Africa.
Also emphasised during this month is the importance of the correct treatment for those suffering from cardiac-related medical conditions. Heart Awareness Month culminates in World Heart Day on September 29.
The World Heart Federation (WHF) takes the lead in this initiative. The main purposes of Heart Awareness Month is to reinforce the knowledge and awareness of heart disease and other circulatory diseases, thereby influencing people to adopt a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
High on the agenda is promoting ‘detection, prevention, treatment and care’ over a four- to five-week period, with the main events occurring in September and on World Heart Day.
The prevalence of heart disease can be reduced by: not smoking, reducing salt intake, eating well, moving more, and obtaining a health risk assessment. Ultimately, it’s all about living a healthy lifestyle!
Heart disease and the conditions that lead to it can happen at any age. High rates of obesity and high blood pressure among younger people (ages 35 to 64) put them at risk for heart disease earlier in life. Many of the following conditions and behaviours that put people at risk for heart disease are appearing at younger ages:
* High blood pressure: Many people of all ages have high blood pressure. Having uncontrolled high blood pressure is one of the biggest risks for heart disease and other harmful conditions (such as strokes).
* Smoking: Smoking damages the blood vessels and can cause heart disease.
* High blood cholesterol: High cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease. Having diabetes, being obese, smoking, not eating healthy and not getting enough physical exercise can all contribute to high blood cholesterol. Things to do to lower your risk of heart disease:
* Control your blood pressure: It is important to get your blood pressure checked regularly at least once a year for most adults, and more often if you have high blood pressure. Take steps, including lifestyle changes, to control high blood pressure.
* Keep your cholesterol level under control: High levels of cholesterol can clog your arteries and raise your risk of coronary artery disease and heart attack. Lifestyle changes and medicines (if needed) can lower your cholesterol.
* Stay at a healthy weight: Being overweight can increase your risk of heart disease. This is mostly because it is linked to other heart disease risk factors that include high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Controlling your weight can lower these risks.
* Eat a healthy diet: Try to limit saturated fats, foods high in sodium, and added sugars. Eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
* Get regular exercise: Exercise has many benefits, including strengthening your heart and improving your circulation. It can also help you maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. All of these can lower your risk of heart disease.
*Limit alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. It also adds extra calories, which may cause weight gain. Both of those raise your risk of heart disease. Men should have no more than two alcoholic drinks per day, and women should not have more than one.
*Don’t smoke: Cigarette smoking raises your blood pressure and puts you at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. If you do not smoke, do not start. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk for heart disease.
You can talk to a healthcare professional about help in finding the best way for you to quit. * Manage stress:
Stress is linked to heart disease in many ways. It can raise your blood pressure. Extreme stress can be a “trigger” for a heart attack. Also, some common ways of coping with stress – such as overeating, heavy drinking and smoking – are bad for your heart. Some ways to help manage your stress include exercise, listening to music, focusing on something calm or peaceful, and meditating.
*Make sure that you get enough sleep: If you don’t get enough sleep, you raise your risk of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.
Those three things can raise your risk for heart disease. Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Make sure that you have good sleep habits.
If you have frequent sleep problems, contact your health care provider.
One problem, sleep apnea, causes people to briefly stop breathing many times during sleep. This interferes with your ability to get good rest and can raise your risk of heart disease. If you think you might have it, ask your doctor about having a sleep study. If you have sleep apnea, make sure you get treatment for it.
