How to Reduce Risk of Heart Disease Naturally
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States as well as a major cause of disability. Your risk of heart disease increases as you get older, but people of any age can develop it. While some contributors may be beyond your control, there are also a number of simple lifestyle changes you can make to reduce heart disease risk factors naturally.
Today, we’re taking a look at how to reduce risk of heart disease naturally with a few simple lifestyle changes. Commitment to a heart healthy lifestyle can make a huge difference when it comes to heart disease prevention and keep you going strong.
Learning How to Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
While heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, this statistic is supported pretty heavily by factors we can help control. While we can’t reduce heart disease risk factors to zero, we can adjust our lifestyles to help with how to improve heart health naturally. Before beginning any new fitness routine or health regimen to prevent heart disease, it’s important to consult your doctor to discuss your potential risk factors and ensure your new routine is safe to do.
Once you’ve been given the go ahead from a medical professional, some of adjustments you can make for how to reduce risk of heart disease include:
- Following natural ways to reduce blood pressure
- Exercising and staying active
- Learning how to manage stress levels
- Choosing a heart healthy diet
- Getting enough sleep
Lower Blood Pressure to Help Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
The first item on our journey for how to reduce risk of heart disease is finding natural ways to reduce blood pressure. While there are not always symptoms of high blood pressure, the negative effects of high blood pressure on the body can be catastrophic if left unchecked. Not only is it one of the leading contributors to heart disease, but it can also lead to other health complications such as vision loss or impairment, increased risk of cognitive decline, kidney failure, and more.
Wondering how to reduce blood pressure, then? Simple lifestyle adjustments such as becoming more active, learning to manage stress, stopping smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption are the easiest places to start. There are also a number of tools you can integrate into your daily routine to help reduce blood pressure, as well.
For example, using a zero gravity chair to improve blood circulation may help lower high blood pressure and take excess stress off your heart. Bonus features of zero gravity luxury recliners such as vibration or air pressure massage and heat therapy make these tools ideal as part of a relaxing night time routine, as well. Getting enough sleep has been shown to have a positive impact on your blood pressure, as well.
Bonus Tip: Learning how to lower blood pressure during pregnancy is also important for the health of both mom and baby.
Exercise to Reduce Heart Disease Risk Factors
Being physically active every day has been shown to be another effective method for how to reduce risk of heart disease naturally. Experts recommend being active for at least 150 minutes per week (over at least 5 days) doing activities that elevate your heart rate within safe levels. Exercising and being active can have a positive impact on your blood pressure, help lower cholesterol, and regulate weight to avoid health problems caused by obesity. Staying active can also help strengthen your heart and improve lung function, as well, increasing your overall well being.
Your exercises don’t have to be super intense. Finding ways for how to reduce risk of heart disease naturally with physical activity isn’t limited to professional athletes! Whether you’re doing full body workout exercises or prefer low-impact exercises like yoga or tai chi, any activity can be beneficial. As a bonus, not only can being active help reduce heart disease risk factors, but it may also help increase mobility and flexibility, too. This is essential as part of our bodily self care practices to keep us as healthy as possible at every age.
Tip: No matter what kind of exercise you do, it’s important to have a post workout recovery routine to help avoid muscle soreness and stiffness.
Managing Stress and Heart Disease Risk Factors
We couldn’t examine how to reduce risk of heart disease naturally without addressing stress. For all the studies showing its negative effects on our health, psychological stress is an important risk for cardiovascular disease that is often overlooked. The good news is heart disease definitely makes the list of stress related health problems you can fix, however! It’s all about learning how to manage stress levels on a daily basis.
One of the simplest and most common methods for managing stress is with meditation. Mindfulness meditation helps center your mind and acknowledge your thoughts without judgement, helping stress melt away. Not only can this help lower cortisol levels in your body, but it also helps increase serotonin production which can elevate your mood and relax your body.
Learning how to meditate at home doesn’t have to take a large portion of your day. You can experience the positive effects of meditating in just a few minutes each day. If you’re always on the go, you might consider adding meditation to your night time routine as a way to unwind before bed. You can also combine it with other tools, as well. For example, meditating in a zero gravity recliner may work to enhance the potential health benefits of zero gravity chairs, giving you the best of both worlds.
Choosing a Healthy Diet for Heart Disease Prevention
No doubt you’ve heard that diet plays a big part in how to reduce risk of heart disease naturally, but are you following a heart healthy diet? Finding healthy foods that reduce heart disease risk factors may not only protect your heart health but may also boost energy levels and help prevent other health ailments such as diabetes, as well.
A heart healthy diet limits saturated fats, foods that are high in sodium, and added sugars. You should aim to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. One popular diet that people use for how to reduce risk of heart disease naturally is the DASH diet. This diet is aimed at lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, two of the biggest contributors to heart disease.
The Correlation of Sleep and Heart Disease
Last in our exploration of how to reduce risk of heart disease naturally is getting enough sleep. While it may sound like such a small factor, the truth is that sleep deprivation has been directly associated with elevated risk for high blood pressure and heart disease. When you sleep, your blood pressure reduces naturally. This reduces stress on your heart and helps with how the body heals itself. Experts agree that the average adult should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night for optimal health.
Common sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea may also contribute to increased risk factors of heart disease. Finding out how to treat sleep apnea and what causes insomnia can be immensely beneficial when learning how to reduce heart disease risk factors. Other factors such as sleeping with back pain or pain caused by inflammation may affect your ability to get restful sleep, too. To help combat these issues, getting regular massages or using tools like zero gravity chairs may help alleviate pain and help you get the sleep you need.
As you can see, the importance of learning how to reduce risk of heart disease cannot be overstated. Finding ways to reduce heart disease risk factors doesn’t have to be complicated, however. Making simple lifestyle adjustments like adopting a heart healthy diet, staying active, or choosing a zero gravity chair for their myriad of potential health benefits are all methods that could change your life. As always, be sure to consult a medical professional before you begin any new health routine. Discuss with your doctor any risks of heart disease you may have and which methods may work best to keep you healthy.
Zero gravity chairs could be beneficial for how to reduce risk of heart disease naturally but their uses don’t stop there. For more information on the potential health benefits of zero gravity chairs, check out these resources:
