5 non-obvious signs that your heart has started to age. Check yourself against the list

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

How do you realize your heart has begun to age?

Many people think that cardiovascular problems occur after age 45. However, chest pains are increasingly seen in younger people as well. We have prepared a checklist to check the health of your heart. One affirmative answer – already a reason to make an appointment for examination.

Increased fatigue

“Woke up and already tired”, “do not feel rested after sleep” – familiar symptoms? Behind the regular feelings of weakness, lethargy, loss of strength can hide serious disorders in the work of the circulatory system. Heart failure reduces the heart’s pumping ability, resulting in less blood flowing to the muscles. Because of the lack of nutrients and oxygen, the body tires more quickly. Often there is discomfort in the chest area.

To alleviate the condition will help a course of medications prescribed by a specialist after a thorough examination, a special diet and maintenance of water-salt balance. How to calculate your norm of water per day and why it is important to maintain it, read the article at the link.

Reduced endurance

If during habitual physical activity there is a sudden burning in the area behind the sternum and this pain radiates to the left side of the body, angina pectoris is suspected. Usually the attack passes after three minutes of rest or after taking nitroglycerin. With high blood pressure, the pain may increase.

Contrary to popular belief, moderate physical activity is beneficial for people with heart problems. A sedentary lifestyle reduces stress levels that trigger heart pain and gives you a boost of energy.

Shortness of breath

A feeling of shortness of breath when walking, exercising or even doing everyday activities indicates that the heart is pumping blood with less effort, resulting in oxygen deprivation. In lying down, the condition can worsen – the most dangerous are night attacks. Only medications and breathing exercises will help relieve the symptoms.

Swelling

Swelling of the feet, ankles, legs, abdomen in the evenings or after prolonged exertion signals the initial stage of heart disease. Of course, swelling can be relieved by contrast showers, massages, diuretics. But this will only get rid of the symptomatology for a while.

Take care of the health of the cardiovascular system can be more effective methods: regular examination by a specialist, adherence to a lean diet (at least remove from the menu salt and spices that retain fluid in the body) and drinking regimen, as well as therapeutic treatment.

Swelling can appear not only with heart problems, but also due to improper nutrition. About the products that provoke fluid retention, read in the material at the link.

Uneven pulse

Increased pulse rate, heart palpitations, arrhythmia – the most obvious signs that the heart can no longer cope with the load. In severe cases, heart rate irregularities can cause deterioration of the blood supply to the brain, dizziness and fainting.

Affect the rhythm of the heartbeat can: diseases of the endocrine system, poisoning with alcohol, drugs, food poisoning, shock states, the development of heart disease.

With ailments it is worth visiting a cardiologist, do electrocardiography (ECG) and do not neglect the recommendations. According to statistics, it is indiscipline on the part of patients that leads to shortened life in more than half of cases: in 2021, mortality from cardiovascular diseases in Russia increased by 12% compared to 2020.