February - Know your heart

by Coronary Care Lead Nurse Rachael Greasley

• Quit smoking. Smokers are twice as likely to have a heart attack as non-smokers. Giving up smoking is the single most important thing you can do if you want to live longer. There’s no time like the present when it comes to quitting, in fact, from the moment you stop smoking, the risk of having a heart attack starts to reduce.

• Ensure you get enough exercise. Research suggests that in England alone, 27million adults are not getting sufficient exercise to help prevent chronic heart disease. Many people are put off exercise by the thought of the levels of effort required. However, this doesn’t have to be the case; just 30 minutes moderate exercise, five days a week is enough to see significant cardiac benefits.

• Cut down on your salt intake. Try to cut down on salt or even better, give it up completely. It may take some getting used to, but within a month, your taste buds will have adapted and your blood pressure could be lower.

• Eat a balanced diet. Getting your five fruit and vegetables a day is one of the best ways of reducing your risk of heart disease and staying generally healthy. Eating more oily fish, such as mackerel, sardines, fresh tuna and salmon also help to protect against heart disease. Also, look to cut your intake of saturated fats; change from full-fat milk to skimmed or semi-skimmed, choose leaner cuts of meat or steam or grill foods rather than frying them in oil.

• Check your weight. More than half the adult population are overweight or obese. Carrying this excess fat can dramatically increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Moderate exercise and eating a well balanced diet can both help you loose weight.  

• Monitor your alcohol intake. Excessive alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. Binge drinking also increases the risk of having a heart attack. Aim to limit yourself to no more than one to two units per day.

• Beat stress. When you are stressed you are less likely to eat properly and more likely to smoke and drink alcohol. If you feel yourself becoming stressed why not go out for a 30 minute walk; you may even find this helps on your lunch break at work. Not only will this help you relax but it can also count towards your 30 minutes exercise a day.

• Ask your GP to check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. People with high blood pressure are at a higher risk of suffering a heart attack. Cholesterol is produced by your liver from saturated fats and once this gets into your blood stream it can leave fatty deposits in your coronary arteries and increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Your GP will be able to carry out a check for you and offer further advice.

 Further advice on cutting your cholestorol levels.

• Check your family history. If you have a family history of cardiovascular disease, you have an increased risk of developing the condition.

• Learn to recognise the early signs of coronary heart disease. Tightness or discomfort in the chest, neck, arm or stomach, which comes on when you exert yourself but goes away with rest, may be the first signs of angina, which can lead to a heart attack if left untreated. If you are showing any of these symptoms contact your GP immediately.