11 Ways To Keep Your Heart Clean And Healthy – Part 2. This is the concluding part of the first part published two days ago.
Blog Post Contents
6. Avoid A Sedentary Life
Avoid sedentary life as much as possible.
Research has suggested that staying seated for long periods of time is bad for your health no matter how much exercise you do.
Sitting for long periods of time, whether at work or when travelling, increases your risk of deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot).
This is good advice and an opportunity for those who sit at sedentary jobs all day and those who sit for a long time during travels, to do something to save their health.
If your office car park is close to our office, try parking farther away from the office, so that you would have the opportunity to have a walk-in a day.
7. Have Enough Sleep
Everybody knows how important sleep is to our body and health. Sleep is simply an essential part of keeping your heart healthy.
So, get enough of it, say between 7 and 8 hours most nights.
Failure to have enough sleep, all things being equal, exposes you to a higher risk of falling prey to cardiovascular disease, no matter your age or your other good health habits.
A study carried out on 3,000 adults, who were over the age of 45 found that those who slept fewer than six hours per night were about twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack as people who slept six to eight hours per night.
Researchers believe that sleeping too little causes disruptions in underlying health conditions and biological processes, including blood pressure and inflammation.
Before I forget, if you must take drugs to be able to sleep, then you have a challenge. See your health care provider if you fall into this category.
8. Take Good Care Of Your Teeth
Really?
How does good dental hygiene make your heart healthy?
The health of your teeth is a good indication of overall health, including your heart.
The reason being that those who have periodontal or gum disease often have the same risk factors for heart disease.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, some research suggests that bacteria in the mouth involved in the development of gum disease can move into the bloodstream and cause an elevation in C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation in the blood vessels.
These changes may, in turn, increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Finally, practice good dental hygiene, especially flossing your teeth daily; floss and brush your teeth daily to ward off gum disease.
It’s more than cavities you may have to deal with if you are fighting gum disease.
9. Have Good And Reasonable Sex
Research published in the American Journal of Cardiology shows that a lower frequency of sexual activity is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease.
Therefore, having sex can be good for your heart.
Yes, you heard me right!
Most of us; boys and girls, men and women, see sexual activity as nothing more than pleasure.
That’s not completely true!
Sexual activity is more than just a pleasure to your life; it does, among other things, help to lower your blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.
The fact that having sex is good for your heart, however, does not mean you should have marathon sex with your partner every day or sleep around with different women or men.
Everything about it must be done with moderation and reasonableness.
10. Form The Habit Of Dancing
I don’t mean without a piece of music or song being sung because that may mean madness.
I mean dancing to your best music or song.
Why dancing?
Because dancing, no matter what type – reggae, hip-hop, rumba, Nigerian atilogu, juju, fuji, apala, etc. – makes for a great heart-healthy workout.
Dancing is another form of exercise and like the normal exercise that you know, it raises your heart rate and gets your lungs pumping.
Reports by Mayo Clinic shows that it also burns up to 200 calories or more per hour.
11. Always Endeavour To Laugh Out Loud
According to the AHA, research suggests that laughing can lower stress hormones, decrease inflammation in your arteries, and raise your levels of high-density lipoprotein, HLD, a.k.a. ‘good cholesterol.’
In other words, laughter may be good for your heart.
Therefore, find a way to laugh out loud in your daily life.
A good way of doing this is by attending comedy shows, where rib-cracking jokes are told by comedians and comediennes, or by watching funny movies, among others.
Incorporate these habits into your lifestyle and your heart health will be the best it can be for you.
*This post was reviewed by Dr. Margaret Bradwell.
THE END
