Heart disease risk and how women can reduce it.

Know the heart disease risk for women and steps to reduce it.

As a woman, you need to take your heart health into serious consideration. This is especially true if you have a family history of heart disease, have a congenital heart defect, if you have diabetes, hypertension, are overweight if you smoke or are generally inactive. This applies to women of all ages, even young women, especially those who are on birth control pills.

Take proper preventive measures to reduce risk.

The good news is that by taking proper preventive measures can reduce your heart disease risk dramatically. You need to make several lifestyle changes to keep your heart in good health. For starters, you need to pay attention to your diet, to quit smoking, to exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight. You need to manage your diabetes and hypertension by taking proper and regular medication.

Change the diet to reduce heart disease risk.

You can make several changes to your diet to make it more heart happy. Include more whole grains, low fat diary products, lean meats, fruits and vegetables in your diet. Avoid white sugar, salt and trans fats.

Take up an exercise regime gradually building it up to a moderate level. Walking at a brisk pace is one of the most beneficial exercises that will gradually build up heart health. You can also do muscle building by lifting small weights, or go in for yoga or aerobic exercises. The recommended minimum quantum is around 30 minutes of vigorous activity at least 5 days a week.

Regular exercising helps!

Exercising regularly will also help you to shed off all that excess fat around the abdomen and the rest of your body. This will allow you to regain a healthy BMI (body mass index) which is a ratio of your weight and height. You need to aim for a BMI less than 25. You also need to reduce your waist size to less than 35 inches.

Losing weight, in turn, will lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of getting diabetes, and in turn, decrease your risk of a heart attack. In addition, you should also take prescribed medications for blood pressure and diabetes regularly to manage your condition effectively.

You also need to manage stress and depression. Too much stress affects the health of your heart, so it’s important to figure out ways to cope with any stress that you might be undergoing. Consult a psychotherapist if required. Try yoga and meditation. Take time off to relax in a peaceful environment. Go for walks. Find time for things that you enjoy doing. Don't take in more work than you can handle. Ask for help if you need it. It is also important to get enough sleep. Lack of restful sleep is bad for the heart as well as your general health. Get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

Age matters!

Women who are 65 or over in age need to take more care to reduce their heart disease risk. This could include taking a regular low dose aspirin pill. A 75 to 80 mg dose is usually prescribed by the doctor. Aspirin prevents the formation of blood clots which lead to heart attack . By inhibiting clotting, aspirin helps prevent heart attack. Aspirin is not recommended for those who are below 50 years of age.

Doctors may also prescribe blood thinners if your lipid profile shows high levels of  blood cholesterol (high total and LDL cholesterol), low HDL cholesterol, or high triglyceride levels.

Taking adequate preventive measures has saved thousands of women from getting a heart attack and is helping others to reduce their heart disease risk. Start taking preventive measures today!

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