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Lifestyle Factors That Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease

lifestyle factors that increase your risk of heart disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. There are certain risk factors – such as family history and age – that are out of your control, but others are impacted by your actions. By making heart healthy lifestyle choices, you can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease.

Just as certain actions can reduce your risk of heart disease, other lifestyle choices can increase your risk. By understanding many of the lifestyle factors that contribute to heart disease, you can start taking steps to eliminate these behaviors from your life and replacing them with healthier choices.

Smoking

Smoking is one of the most significant lifestyle risk factors for heart disease. Tobacco use negatively impacts your heart health in a variety of ways, including:

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your heart health. In addition to reducing your risk of heart disease, quitting smoking will help prevent other health issues such as cancer. If you’ve struggled to quit smoking in the past, our team can recommend smoking cessation programs to help you make this important lifestyle change.

Eating an Unhealthy Diet

There is extensive research linking a diet high in ultra-processed foods to an increased risk of heart disease and other heart conditions such as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when plaque builds up in your arteries and restricts blood flow to your heart. This can increase your risk of serious conditions such as heart attack or stroke.

A heart healthy diet should include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. One of the most heart healthy diets you can adopt is the Mediterranean diet. In addition to including these foods in your diet, limit your intake of ultra-processed foods such as deli meats, chips, soda, hot dogs, boxed baked goods and sweetened breakfast cereals.

Lack of Regular Exercise

Living an active lifestyle is critical for maintaining optimal heart health. Research has found that a lack of regular exercise can double your risk of heart disease and stroke. While the health benefits of regular exercise are robust, modern life – particularly the rise of sedentary jobs – makes it challenging for many people to get enough exercise. Living a sedentary lifestyle contributes to the development of several other critical heart disease risk factors such as obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure, which is why it’s critical to build regular exercise into your weekly routine.

To ensure you’re getting enough exercise for optimal heart health, make sure you include at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity in your weekly routine. Activities such as running, cycling, swimming and hiking are great ways to get your heart rate up. Ideally, you should also add muscle strengthening activities such as weightlifting or yoga into your exercise routine as a supplement to your cardiovascular workouts.

Excessive Alcohol Consumption

heart disease risk factors - excessive alcohol consumptionExcessive alcohol consumption raises blood pressure and triglyceride levels, increasing your risk of heart disease. Heavy drinking and binge drinking are particularly harmful. To prevent an increased risk of heart disease, make sure to limit your alcohol consumption to the following levels:

Obesity

Obesity can increase your risk of heart disease by leading to the development of several conditions that are considered heart disease risk factors, such as high cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, diabetes and high blood pressure. Fortunately, the steps necessary to maintain a healthy weight – eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise – will also address several of the lifestyle factors discussed above, making these adjustments to your behaviors an important way to take control of your heart health.

Insufficient Sleep

Insufficient sleep increases your risk of heart disease in a variety of ways:

It’s important to get at least seven hours of sleep per night to maintain optimal levels of heart health.

Chronic Stress

Modern life contains many stressors, and unfortunately you may increase your risk of heart disease if you’re unable to manage your stress levels properly. Chronic stress impacts your body in a variety of ways, increasing your blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol levels. Stress can also increase inflammation in your body.

All of these conditions are risk factors for heart disease, making it critical that you take steps to properly manage your stress. The first step involves learning how to recognize the stress triggers in your daily life. Once you understand your stressors, you can explore ways to manage them. Make sure you build self-care into your daily routine. Exercise, yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises are all effective ways to manage stress. In addition, spending time with loved ones and devoting more time to your favorite hobbies can help reduce stress in your daily life.

South Denver Cardiology Associates Can Help You Live a Heart Healthy Life

At South Denver Cardiology Associates, we provide comprehensive services that will help you make the lifestyle adjustments necessary to reduce your risk of heart disease:

We also offer diagnostic testing that will identify any signs of heart disease in their earliest stages. This allows us to recommend the preventive cardiology treatments necessary to address your condition before you experience any serious health effects.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment. We serve patients in South Denver, Littleton and the surrounding areas.

 

South Denver Cardiology
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