Smita Diwan
World Heart Day is celebrated globally on the last Sunday of September every year to create awareness amongst people regarding cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular disease continues to be the number 1 reason for death amongst women. So…as a woman, I thought it would be better that I put pen to paper and bring out awareness regarding heart problems.
Firstly, heart problems could be caused by many factors. However, most of them are a result of sheer care- free lifestyle, rogue eating and sleeping patterns, elevated stress levels at home or work, etc. These are factors that act up over a period of time.
Don’t ignore the following signs of heart problems:
Pain in hands, back and neck region
Chest pain
Heart burn (disguised as stomach pain)
Difficulty breathing on exertion (shortness of breath)
Sweating profusely
Fatigue while performing simple activities
Estrogen is the hormone that is responsible for maintaining a protective effect on the heart. When a woman goes through the phase menopause and post-menopause, Estrogen hormone levels begin to slowly decrease and so does the protection offered by the hormone. This makes us women vulnerable to heart problems.
Besides this there are other risk factors as well such as:
Smoking
Being obese
Sedentary Lifestyle
Having blood sugar levels/ diabetes or pre-diabetes
High Blood Sugar
Uncontrolled Cholesterol levels
You can make small but effective health choices that will go a long way in helping prevent heart problems. Avoid eating too much of fried food, add very less oil to food while cooking, avoid eating foods with added preservatives, go for a walk for at least 30 mins. a day. I know that these don’t sound like something great but they are effective in decreasing your risk for cardiovascular disorders.
I would like to conclude with a small piece of advice. A woman runs the house like no other. She bears upon her shoulders the responsibility of raising a wonderful family. Hence, it is even more important for women like us to take care of ourselves. Consult a doctor if you show any of the above signs of heart problems.
Prevention is better than cure. Live well, stay Healthy!
And spread the joy of a healthy heart this World Heart Day!
