How does your heart change with age and how should you care for it at every stage of your life? Here is a short guide that will answer these questions.
Under the age of 30
Your heart is in a good condition but it can change when you do not take care of yourself. Cardiologists recommend an annual blood pressure test and a healthy lifestyle at this age. This is the time when you should form your good habits that will allow you to enjoy your health for as long as possible. Currently you have a healthy heart – the arteries have a large cross-section and the blood is pumped like clockwork. If you quit smoking now, you will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease three times. Moreover, a healthy diet will also allow you to avoid the development of hypertension.
Why would your heart like you even more? For reducing coffee and energy drinks, if you drink it in larger quantities, as well as taking care of your body: including regular examinations.
Under the age of 40
After the age of 30, very often the first heart attacks take place, especially among people who live an unhygienic lifestyle, do not sleep well and like spending their weekends with a large amount of alcohol and energy drinks. In order to have a healthy heart, after the age of 30 you should take care of yourself! The basis is a healthy diet, being in motion and having a good sleep. Stress also affects the heart, so you should limit it or learn to fight it – through relaxation, meditation or physical activity.
Crossing the magic border of the age of thirty, it is worth performing some additional examinations that will allow you to control the condition of the body, including:
- a blood test to assess lipid levels
- a sugar level test
- the amount of uric acid in the blood
Under the age of 50
Unfortunately, your body is aging when you do not even realise it yet. The good news is that you can delay some processes or stop them. After the age of 40, the heart reduces the number of beats, and the arterial walls become less flexible, so that the blood flows slower through them. It all causes that you have to look after yourself if you still want to feel good.
What examinations are worth performing?
- an exercise ECG
- a cardiac echo
- a blood pressure test
- a cholesterol level test
It is good to supplement magnesium and potassium or eat products, which are rich in it at this point in your life.
Magnesium – dark chocolate (minimum 75%), avocados, pumpkin seeds, bananas, buckwheat groats.
Potassium – apricots, dried figs, tomatoes, potatoes, grapefruits.
Under the age of 60
After the age of 50, the amount of blood flowing in the veins decreases by a few per cent. Arteriosclerosis and cholesterol are becoming a serious problem.
At this stage, you should focus on several activities: drink more water, be in motion minimum 3 times a week for 30 minutes, take care of the right supplementation, which supports your heart.
After the age of 60
The risk of stroke and heart attack associated with resistance in peripheral blood vessels increases. Because of this, you get tired a bit faster, but you also have lower caloric demand. For good health, every senior should not avoid being in motion – just the opposite! What is more, the supplementation, the healthy diet and of course regular examinations are important.
What else affects your heart?
Smoking
Not only does smoking damage the blood vessels, but it also weakens the heart and circulatory system. This applies not only to active but also passive smoking!
Excess salt
A daily dose of salt is 5 grams but the majority of Poles use salt twice as much. Excess salt does not only spell trouble with hypertension, but also a higher risk of stroke and heart attack.
Overweight
The BMI over 30 is obesity, which can lead to a heart attack. What is more, those who have a higher BMI are more likely to die of a heart attack than those with a normal weight.
Irregular exercises
The best physical activity for your heart is the one that you do regularly. Weekend episodes of exercises, while living a sedentary lifestyle from Monday to Friday, can do more harm than good.
Forgetting about examinations
No matter how old you are, you should remember about regular examinations. They will allow you to be up to date with monitoring your health, so that you can respond quickly to any disturbing change.
Let us take care of our heart – let it be in good condition as long as possible, so that you can fully enjoy your life at any age.
