Heart-Healthy Habits Every Woman Should Adopt

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, affecting one out of four females each day. The more shocking news is that your heart disease risk in Singapore is thrice as greater than that of your lifetime breast cancer risk. But for some reason, this silent killer maintains most of its health threat reputation on men. As a result, a lot of women just blow off its symptoms – and that’s why we’re here to change that mind-set, and make you understand that now’s the time to take on these heart-healthy behaviours to reduce you heart disease risk.

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1. Spend an Hour of Exercise Daily

We understand that you’re busy, but adopting this habit will bring incredible benefits to your heart health. A study conducted by Singapore health experts showed that women who spend an hour of exercise each day are 46 percent less likely to develop heart disease. What’s more amazing is that even if you can’t meet the 60-minute maximum time for exercise each day, doing low-level physical activities will still benefit your heart. Health experts also recommend doing 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week – about 20 minutes of working out every day.

2. Pay Attention to Your Mental Health

Apart from paying attention to your pre-menstrual mood slump, monitoring your other mental health modifications is also crucial in keeping a healthy heart. Women under 50 with moderate to severe depression has an increased risk of developing a heart problem that’s potentially fatal, such as heart attack. So if you think you’re experiencing clinical depression – symptoms of which include persistent feeling of hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, and drastic changes in sleeping and eating habits – Harley Street has cardiologists to help you in Singapore and you should immediately visit the health experts there to get some help.

3. Quit Smoking for Good

You’ve heard this hundreds of times already, but it bears repeating: Smoking boosts your heart disease and stroke risk two to four times than that of a non-smoker. According to a heart specialist, women who smoke have a 25 percent increased risk of developing a heart problem than male smokers. So do your heart and overall health a favour now, and quit smoking for good.

4. Devote Some Time for Your Relationship

Being in a happy and healthy relationship actually protects your heart. A study claims that people who don’t feel a sense of emotional security with their partners have higher risks of developing coronary artery calcification. Researchers think that this has something to do with feeling stressed out when you don’t feel supported by your partner, and stress has a negative effect on the heart. So devote some time with your partner, and make sure that both of you are support and understand one another.

5. Practise Optimism

Although you don’t need to whitewash all the negativity from your life, being cheerful and optimistic will lower your heart disease risk, especially if you have a family history of heart condition. How does optimism help? Health experts in Singapore believe that having a positive mind-set buffers stress, a prime cause of heart disease.

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6. Reduce Your Soda Intake

Seriously, now’s the time to trash this habit. According to a Singapore heart specialist, drinking too much soda leads to irregular heart function. Health experts think that soda, a diuretic with high levels of caffeine and sugar, flushes out great amounts of potassium from the body – and a good amount of potassium is crucial for maintaining heart function. So consider limiting your soda intake to as little as possible. Also, don’t think of switching to diet soda since this artificially sweetened beverage is associated with obesity and weight gain, two known risk factors of heart disease.

7. Floss Daily

Health experts believe that gum disease doubles a Singapore woman’s risk of developing heart disease. Gum disease leads to bacteria being able to bleed into your mouth, causing inflammation that affects the heart. Flossing after meals is one of the best ways to eliminate oral bacteria, making it a first line of defence against heart disease.

8. Avoid Taking Too Much Pain Relievers

People who take excessive doses of NSAIDs such as ibuprofen daily have higher chances of experiencing heart attack or dying from heart disease. However, NSAIDs such as naproxen doesn’t seem to increase heart disease risk. Still, it’s better to consult a doctor about the risks and safer alternatives to these drugs.

9. Drink More Tea

Black and green tea has compounds that help reduce bad cholesterol levels. Other than that, tea also improves arterial function, and sipping it before sleeping serves as an excellent stress buster. Just ditch its bottled versions, and brew your own tea instead.

10. Get Quality Sleep Each Night

Apart from exercising, eating right, and having your regular heart screening test, getting quality sleep at night is also essential for maintaining a healthy heart. One study demonstrates that lack of sleep plays a role in developing heart disease. It even showed that insomnia slightly raises one’s heart disease risk, while getting poor sleep quality in Singapore increases the high blood pressure level, a known risk factor of heart attack. So ensure that you get a good night’s sleep each night to replenish your energy and protect yourself from serious heart problems.

Just like men, women are also at risk of developing heart diseases. But by following and adopting these heart-healthy habits, and getting your regular heart screening test in Singapore, you’ll surely be able to reduce your heart disease risk and develop a healthy heart.

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