Melanie DeVries, a Family Medicine nurse practitioner at Mayo Clinic Health System in the United States says that Lifestyle factors play a big role in preventing or managing heart disease. Here are 5 tips for having a healthier heart.
- Eat Vegetables.
Adding vegetables and fruits to your diet boosts your heart health. For a start, you can aim for five servings each day.
- Volunteer.
Get involved in your community. Look for opportunities to volunteer and participate in your community, worship place, or join a social club. Sharing your time and talents is good for your heart.
- Give thanks.
Gratitude can improve your overall wellness. Gratitude can boost your immune system, and help improve your sleep quality and quantity. You can start today, and minimize how much you complain. Stop carrying pain, anger, and grudges in your heart. You can keep a gratitude journal to help you make the act of giving gratitude a second nature.
- Stress less.
You can’t do everything. Learn to say no occasionally. Everyone reacts differently to stressful conditions. Coping styles and symptoms vary. Learning how to cope with stress can help your mental and physical well-being. Exercising and meditation can help you manage stress.
- Sleep more.
Make sleep a priority. Aim for eight hours a night. During normal sleep, your blood pressure goes down. Having sleep problems means your blood pressure stays higher for a longer time. High blood pressure is one of the leading risks for heart disease and stroke.