Health Care for Women

5 Great Tips for Women for a Healthy Heart

Finding ways to keep your heart healthy cannot only extend your life but it can vastly improve your quality of life and HPFY offers you some tips to keep your heart healthy and strong. Men and women are different and our hearts differ in a variety of ways.

The saying goes “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” and its true when it comes to the most important organ in our bodies. Who knows, maybe in the future prescriptions will be based on gender, but for now it is important for women to understand the difference and to find ways to maintain a healthy heart.

Difference Between Women's Heart and Men's Heart?

Most folks would not know that there is a physical difference in a woman’s heart compared to a man’s. On average a male heart beats 70-72 times per minute compared to 78-82 bpm for a woman’s. This is largely due to the fact that a female’s heart is typically smaller than its male counterpart. This leads to the veins in a woman’s heart being finer and therefore more sensitive. One potential issue with a more delicate heart is that the female heart is more susceptible to damage from a heart attack. Also, the female heart is more susceptible to blood clots, especially for women on birth control or who smoke. This increases the importance of being proactive and maintaining a healthy heart.

Tips for Keeping the Female Heart Healthy

Since the female heart may be more delicate, how do we ensure that it is healthy? Heart disease can be extremely dangerous for women and approximately 1 in 4 women may die from the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries. The most common heart issue women face more than men is Coronary Microvascular Disease (CMD) or something referred to as broken heart syndrome which is brought on by emotional stress. Being proactive for women’s heart health is a lifestyle change (potentially) and you should work with your doctor to maintain your healthy heart. These lifestyle changes may include:

A Heart Healthy Diet

The saying is “you are what you eat” and that is something to be taken seriously when it comes to a woman’s heart. High sodium foods and those rich in trans fats can lead to a heart attack, so they should be avoided at all costs!! Another tricky one to avoid is sugar. This can show up in many forms including corn syrup in all of our foods. You can even incorporate a protein drink as a supplement for a healthy diet. Be diligent!!

Abbott Promote High-Protein Nutritional Drink

 

Monitor Your Health

 

High blood pressure and cholesterol can be damaging to the female heart (well, any heart). Physicians often prescribe medication for high blood pressure or cholesterol. You should monitor your blood pressure with a home blood pressure monitor and have regular cholesterol checks with your physician. There are even devices, such as the Roche Accutrend Plus Meter Kit to check your cholesterol at home. If you should suffer from diabetes, you should keep a strict eye on your blood sugar levels with a glucose monitor.

Roche Accutrend Plus Meter Kit

 

Aspirin

 

Use of aspirin or even baby aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke is all the rage now. You should always discuss this with your physician before starting any regimen of aspirin. When discussing the potential use of aspirin to prevent heart damage, you should let your doctor know about any other medication or medical procedures you may have.

 

Exercise

 

This is basically common sense. Exercise and especially aerobic exercise has an overall positive impact on everyone and our muscles of which the heart is the most important. Anything that can elevate your heart rate safely, such as a treadmill or a cycle, is ideal. Even getting off the couch and walking daily can have measurable benefits. Once again, you should always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program to make sure you do it safely.

Spirit CT800 Treadmill

 

Recognize the Signs of a Heart Attack

 

Since a woman’s heart is different, so are the potential symptoms of a heart attack. Chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, and tiredness are all potential symptoms of a heart attack outlined by the FDA. As with men, the most common symptom is chest pain, but women are more likely to experience some of the other symptoms such as shortness of breath or nausea according to the American Heart Association.

 

A woman’s heart is unique and ensuring that they live a long healthy life may only require a small change in your lifestyle. These simple and subtle changes can help women maintain a healthy heart and improve their overall health.

 

 

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