Many technological advances and medical procedures have been developed to improve cardiovascular health. Heart rhythm monitors, chest radiographs, blood tests and the like keep your heart in check. While they are helpful, there are also many unexpected ways you can improve your well-being.
Why Boost Your Cardiovascular Health
The cardiovascular system is vital. Comprising of the heart and blood vessels, it delivers oxygen, nutrients and other necessities throughout the bloodstream. This part of your body heavily influences your quality of life and physical condition. Here are a few reasons to boost your heart health:
- Manage your stress: Stressors can be deadly, especially if your heart can’t take it. Adverse mental health conditions like depression are linked to irregular heart rate and rhythm. It’s also connected to increased blood pressure and inflammation. Cardiovascular health extends your bandwidth for stressful situations.
- Improve fitness capabilities: Better cardiovascular endurance can lead to better fitness capabilities. If you love adventures or other physical activities, your heart must effectively distribute blood and oxygen throughout the body.
- Avoid heart disease: Certain medical conditions are associated with heart complications like high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. A stronger heart can lower the risks.
How to Keep Your Heart Healthy
Here’s a list of some of the more surprising ways you could keep your heart in good physical shape:
1. Stay in a Quiet Neighborhood
Where you live can be a factor in heart health. Noise is a significant stressor that increases cardiovascular disease risks and lowers quality of life.
Rural properties are ideal since you don’t have to deal with city buzz or traffic noise. However, you can still live in a metropolitan area. Just invest in sound insulation materials like an acoustic membrane for your residence.
2. Get a Dark Chocolate Dessert
Everyone loves a sweet treat once in a while. If you have the choice, pick dark chocolate over regular or white. This variant creates nitric oxide, which can relax the arteries and lower blood pressure.
Further study is needed to confirm the effectiveness of dark chocolate. You’ll also want to avoid eating too much, as it can increase blood sugar levels if eaten often and in large quantities. Swap it out for fruits to have a more natural dessert occasionally.
3. Prioritize Your Oral Health
How often you brush your teeth may seem to have no correlation to cardiovascular health. In reality, bacteria in the gums and blood vessels can cause chronic inflammation in the long run. The swelling can trigger heart attacks and strokes.
Brush your teeth for at least two minutes twice a day. You should also set up regular dentist appointments. Work together to ensure your mouth is free from harmful bacteria and secure your heart health.
4. Crack a Few Jokes
There’s a reason why “laughter is the best medicine” is still repeated today. A study found participants who watched comedy had a 10% improvement in pumping oxygen throughout the body. It may also lessen inflammatory biomarkers for people with coronary artery disease.
When you feel like taking life too seriously, pull back a bit from the stress. Engage in things that incite happiness, whether watching stand-up or checking funny videos on social media. And if all else fails, crack a couple of jokes. Making other people laugh is gratifying and contagious, so you’ll also have a giggle.
5. Take a Walk in the Park
Some people want to limit physical activity to avoid stressing the heart, but a sedentary lifestyle may be more harmful. Walking can improve your blood circulation and oxygen flow. It can minimize the risk of heart attacks and strokes as well.
Try having a brisk walk in the park. Aside from the gentle exercise, you get to have a view of nature. Make a daily habit out of this. To take this activity to the next level, challenge yourself with moderate walking or jogging.
6. Take Care of a Pet
Having a dog or a cat is another underrated way to boost cardiovascular health. The companionship of a pet can help you stay active. They also provide plenty of emotional support to ease stress.
When adopting an animal, don’t just consider what you find cute. You need to match your pet to your personality and lifestyle. If you tend to be away for school or work during the day, cats are a little more independent than dogs. Dogs are more active and require much more attention, making them great exercise buddies.
7. Meet Up With Friends
Another way to keep your heart in good condition is to set up meetings with friends. It’s fun to catch up with the people you love. Plus, you can share your cardiovascular health journey and ask for their tips and tricks.
Social and emotional support is essential when building or breaking habits. For instance, individual efforts to quit smoking and other activities harmful to heart health can be challenging. However, they can gain much more steam when shared by neighbors and their community.
8. Have a Spa Day
Another way to keep heart stress at bay is a spa day. Nothing clears the mind like a mani-pedi. There’s also a massage to get a lot of physical tension out of the way, which may help your cardiovascular system relax.
If your spa facilities offer a sauna, have a quick visit. About 15 minutes of sauna exposure after a workout can improve blood pressure. You can also draw a warm bath to emulate the same feeling in the comfort of your own home.
9. Get Plenty of Sleep
Your heart needs plenty of rest, and sleep is one of the best ways to achieve that. Blood pressure decreases by 10% to 20% during normal healthy sleep. Nocturnal dipping is integral to refreshing cardiovascular health.
Pulling all-nighters can prevent nocturnal dipping. If you’ve been sleep-deprived, try to catch up with a good night’s rest.
Protect Your Cardiovascular System
Cardiovascular health is integral to overall well-being, so it’s important to boost it wherever possible. Follow the tips above to get your heart in good physical condition. Your everyday choices matter the most when improving this facet of your life.
