Doctors, especially cardiologists, are well aware that heart disease is the biggest killer in the United States. Let’s learn about what doctors do to improve heart health!
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10 Things Doctors Do to Improve Heart Health:
Here is what doctors say they do to improve heart health.
1. Good nutrition/hydration
“A meal delivery service is totally worth it for me as it helps guarantee that I will have healthy meals and snacks. Another great option is to prep your meals for the week in advance so you can just grab and go.”
– Nicole Weinbert, MD, cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica
“Drinking five or more glasses of water a day can lower the risk of heart disease deaths, as dehydration leads to increased hematocrit and increased blood viscosity, both of which have been associated wtih cardiovascular events.”
-Jason Guichard, MD, a cardiologist in Birmingham, Alabama
2. A Good Night’s Sleep
“Getting a good night’s sleep is essential. I make a point of getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night…Poor sleep is linked to higher blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease.”
– Jennifer Haythe, MD, cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center
“Sleep apnea, one of the most common sleep disorders, causes you to take long pauses in breathing during sleep. This can starve your organs of oxygen and wreak havoc on your heart health, potentially causing heart attacks, arrhythmias, heart failures, strokes, and high blood pressure.”
-Adam Splaver, MD
3. Exercise
“I am a strong believer in the mind-body connection and have seen firsthand how exercise not only increases your overall health and energy levels, but is also the perfect stress buster. Exercise blunts the ‘cortisol spike,’ the rush of stress hormones that has been linked to increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.
– Adam Splaver, MD, a cardiologist in South Florida
“I have started practicing stress reduction through yoga, it helps me unwind, find balance, and escape for a short time every day.”
-Jennifer Haythe, MD
4. Meditation
“Stress can cause catecholamine release that can lead to heart failure and heart attacks. I have found a great sense of comfort in 20 minutes of meditation daily. It gives me the reset I need when pressure is rising.”
-Archana Saxena, MD, cardiologist at NYU Lutheran Medical Center
5. Take Your Vitamins
“A 2015 study in the Journal of Nutrition showed that women who took a multivitamin for more than three years significantly reduced their risk of heart disease and death from heart disease.”
-Arielle Levitan, MD
“Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in the United States and studies have shown that low vitamin D levels are significant predictors of cardiac death, heart attack, and stroke. Low vitamin D is also associated with high blood pressure and blood sugar, which are risk factors for heart disease. Have your doctor check your vitamin D levels and supplement it up to normal…”
-Nitin Kumar, MD
“Recent studies indicate that Vitamin K-2 is critical to heart health. It works by shutting calcium into your bones instead of letting the calcium clog your arteries.”
-Adam Splaver, MD
6. Good Relationships
“The quality and quantity of your social relationships has been linked to overall health and a lower risk for death. Heart disease has been associated with stressful life events and social strain, job strain, and psychological distress at any point in life–all things that good friends and family can help with.”
-Jason Guichard, MD
7. Heart Screening
“Obtaining a simple screening test called a coronary calcium CAT scan enabled me to determine whether I was developing early heart disease.”
-Glenn Rich, MD
8. Drink Alcohol in Moderation
“If you find yourself drinking more than one or two drinks in a single occasion, it can increase your risk of stroke.”
-Samuel Malloy, MD
9. Lower High Blood Pressure
“In 2015, we did a study that found that lowering systolic blood pressure (the top number) to 120 mm Hg reduced rates of death due to cardiovascular disease, heart failure, stroke, and heart attack by 25 percent.”
-Cora E. Lewis, MD, epidemiologist and professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine
10. Avoid Diabetes
“I avoid junk food, particularly soda, and other foods that lead to high blood sugar and insulin resistance, the precursors to diabetes.”
-Richard Wright, MD