World Heart Day 2024: Do you always feel tired or are you constantly stressed or is your heartbeat irregular? If the answers to these questions are 'yes', then you may be experiencing early symptoms of heart disease. Nowadays, many people over the age of 40 have problems like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which increase the risk of heart disease. If you see these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. You can prevent heart diseases by adopting healthy habits like regular exercise, balanced diet and stress management. Let us know some special tips given by the experts in this article.

A healthy diet is very important

A good diet is the most effective weapon to fight heart diseases. A balanced diet can help you avoid problems like cholesterol, high blood pressure and increasing weight. In such a situation, make your plate rich in nutrients. Include foods like green leafy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy products, fish, legumes and nuts in your diet. These foods provide you with essential vitamins, minerals and fiber. Keep in mind that you should burn as many calories as you consume. By doing regular exercise, you can control your weight and keep your heart healthy.

Sleep quality is also important

If you feel tired and drowsy in the morning even after a full night's sleep, it means that your sleep is disrupted. Do not forget that the quality of your sleep affects your mood, memory, etc. along with your eating habits. Lack of good sleep constantly puts you at the brink of heart disease.

Stress is a big problem

The number of patients coming to the doctor complaining of increased stress is constantly increasing. Stress provokes smoking, overeating and promotes physical inactivity. Chronic stress can be a major cause of high blood pressure and all these are open invitations to heart disease and heart attack.

What do the figures say?

According to a recent study published in the renowned medical journal Lancet, heart disease is one of the major causes of death in the coming decades. The WHO South-East Asia region, home to a quarter of the world's population, is responsible for 3.9 million annual deaths due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), representing 30 per cent of all deaths.

One in four adults in the South-East Asia region has high blood pressure, while one in ten has diabetes and less than 15 percent are accessing effective treatment.

keep these things in mind

Diabetes is a major factor in increasing heart disease. Even if the blood sugar level is under control, if you have diabetes then you are still at risk. Therefore, keep getting regular checkups done to keep blood sugar under control. - If there is a history of heart related diseases in the family then you should be extra cautious. If the test is done in the beginning then future problems can be controlled. - If the weight is normal and there is no risk factor, even then lipid profile test should be done at regular intervals. This gives two types of information. If LDL is very high, then be alert. It should remain around 100 only.

If cholesterol is high, just increasing diet or physical activity will not help. You may also have to take the help of medicines. -Sitting for long hours can reduce the effect of exercise. If you do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every week, then the risk of blood pressure and cholesterol will decrease. -If you consume alcohol regularly and its quantity is also high, then there is a risk of blood pressure, stroke and other serious diseases.

When is a stent needed?

Stents can play a big role in reducing deaths due to heart attacks. However, the biggest challenge in our country is for the patient to reach the doctor on time and get the stent placed on time. It is worth mentioning that about 30 lakh heart attacks occur in the country but only one or two lakh cases of angioplasty are possible. If the patient reaches the hospital within three hours and gets a stent, his life can be saved. In some cases, life can be saved by putting a stent within twenty-four hours. But this system has not been made yet. The reason for this is the lack of awareness of the patient himself and the facilities and hospitals available for treatment. We are working on this challenge under the National Health Mission.