Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Heart disease kills more men than any other disease. According to the American Heart Association, almost 33 million American men have cardiovascular disease, and over 430,000 die from it every year. Sadly, many of these deaths were preventable.
Here are a few easy ways to How to Maintain a Healthy Heart.
- General health check-ups after the age of 25 years in case of family history of heart disease.
- Get regular health screening: Get screened for high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Starting at age 18, get your blood pressure checked at least once every 2 years. High blood pressure has no signs or symptoms.
- Laugh out loud and be happy: Laughter is indeed the best medicine for your heart. Laughing for just 15 minutes daily can boost blood flow by 22% and prevent arteries from hardening. Being happy is the ultimate mantra to a healthy heart. Listening to soft music, gurbani, sholkas etc, as these have beneficial effects on lowering the blood pressure and thus keeping the heart healthy.
- Starting the day with a spoon full of honey- It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and prevents heart attack
- If you are a smoker, and you choose to quit smoking, your risk for heart disease can drop in a dramatic way within the first year of quitting. No matter how long you have had this habit, quitting it will reap rewards almost immediately.