Why does the heart age? 5 reasons and ways to slow down the process

MD, member of the Asute Cardiovascular Care Association, cardiologist of JSC Medicine

What can cause the heart to age?

Aging is a natural process that everyone faces. Not everyone knows, but the age of a person and their heart can differ. It happens that it grows up faster than the host. Let’s find out why this happens.

Factors of heart aging that can not be influenced: age, heredity and gender. For the latter, the difference is especially noticeable: the male heart is older than the female heart by an average of two years. If there are people with cardiovascular disease in the family, the risk of problems increases.

But the other causes are possible to trace and correct the processes.

Съдържание

Excessive physical activity

Do not forget that everything needs a balance. Exercise builds up toxins, and it takes time to flush them out. When classes come one after another, the accumulation poisons the body, depleting it. This leads to malfunctions in the cardiovascular system, increasing the likelihood of heart attack and stroke. In professional athletes, to avoid health problems, training is calculated taking into account the genetic passport – for each individual.

Lack of night sleep

The intensity of the heart depends on the time of day. During the day, the heart beats faster, and at night it stops – this is how the body recovers. That is why a minimum of seven hours of uninterrupted night sleep is recommended for stable work of the heart and other organs. It is important to follow the regime and fall asleep at the same time. If you occasionally neglect these rules, big problems will not arise, but with regular neglect of the regime, complications are possible.

In general, quality sleep is important for all systems of the body. Read more about this in the article at the link.

Blood pressure

High blood pressure wears out the heart muscle. Even with occasional high blood pressure, the heart ages. The absence of pain and a feeling of heaviness at the bottom of the head does not guarantee the absence of complications. Especially after 40 years of age, it is recommended to regularly monitor the pressure with a tonometer, since hypertension is often asymptomatic. The indicator in the norm is 120/80 and below.

Smoking

For the heart and blood vessels is not important the number of cigarettes smoked per day, it is more important to be systematic. Regular smoking damages blood vessels, weakens the heart and circulatory system. Even passive smoking can lead to early development of diseases, such as atherosclerosis.

Unbalanced diet

Inattention to the diet accelerates the aging of the heart. Frequent consumption of pork, sausage, mayonnaise, salt, sugar, carbonated drinks, juices and alcohol negatively affects health. In turn, vegetable oils, fruits, vegetables and fish improve the work of the heart muscles.

Moreover, it’s not only what you eat, but also how you eat it: choose calorie-dense foods for breakfast and lunch, and low-calorie dishes for dinner.

How to slow heart aging

Slow down the aging of the heart will help with these recommendations:

exercise regularly, but do not overdo it;
watch your weight, try to keep your body mass index within the normal range (no less than 18 and no more than 25 points);
adhere to the principles of healthy eating;
maintain a sleep schedule.

Check your health on a regular basis. Blood pressure, cholesterol levels, ECG – indicators that will help detect possible problems at an early stage. In case of symptoms, do not ignore them and timely consult a doctor.

How to recognize that the heart has begun to age, told in the material at the link.