Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death in the world causing more than 17.9 million years each year – 31 per cent of all global deaths.
The World Heart Day is celebrated on September 29th each year to spread awareness and encourage healthy life style to prevent cardiac diseases and heart related casualties across the world.
The campaign was initiated by World Heart Federation to reduce global mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25 per cent by the year 2025.
World Heart Day initiative was launched in 1999 with the World Heart Federation (WHF) collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO), whereas the first World Heart Day was observed back in September 2000.
With the ever increasing mental health issues due to deteriorating social fabric, unhealthy food habits and lack of physical activities, more people are now prone to the threats posed by cardiovascular diseases.
Here are ten easy steps to lower the risk contracting heart diseases;
10 Easy ways to lower the risk of Heart Diseases
- Control your blood pressure – High blood pressure is one of the primary factor behind contracting heart diseases.
- Keeping Cholesterol levels under control – High levels of cholesterol results in clogging of arteries which essentially increase the chances of cardiac arrest and Coronary artery disease.
- Maintaining a healthy weight – Obesity is also one of the prime factors that increases the susceptibility to heart diseases along with the possibility of diabetes. Maintaining a healthy body to weight ratio in accordance with age can significantly reduce the possibility of contracting heart diseases.
- Ensuring healthy diet – Ensuring the provision of a healthy balanced diet is a key in preventing cardiovascular diseases.
- Exercise – Regular exercise tackles high blood pressure and high cholesterol issues and strengthens heart.
- No Liquor – Abstinence from consuming liquor also helps in prevention of heart related issues
- No Smoking – Smoking results in high blood pressure. Adopting a strict no-smoking regiment reduces chances of heart attack.
- Stress Management – Stress issues are closely linked to heart diseases and can act as a trigger for cardiac arrest.
- Managing Diabetes – Diabetes essentially doubles the risk of cardiac arrest. Controlling and managing diabetes lowers the risk of heart attack and other heart issues.
- Sufficient Sleep – Insufficient sleep increases the risk of high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and sleep apnea. By ensuring 7-9 hours of sleep one can significantly reduce risks posed by various health issues, especially cardiovascular ones.
