Heart health is our outstanding bill.

Currently, according to the World Health Organization (WHO),  cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide.

Likewise, these reports reveal a series of ideas that should invite us to a deep reflection.

It is known, for example, that a good part of these human losses could have been avoided.

Factors such as smoking, inadequate diets, obesity, physical inactivity or alcohol are triggers that occur with the onset of cardiovascular diseases that, in the long or short term, can have serious effects.

However, despite the fact that there is a small proportion of those deaths that are not related to these dimensions and which may be due to congenital factors, we need to take on new perspectives and better responsibilities.

Our lifestyle habits are related to worse or better heart health.

Let us take care of ourselves, make small daily efforts and reflect on these factors that we will now detail.

Sometimes there are habits or situations that we overlook and that have serious consequences.

1. Ignore our snoring

We may consider it normal, that we say that “who more and less, we all snore.”

It does not matter that our partner complains or that in the morning we get up with fatigue and headache: we let it happen because we have the firm belief that it is not something serious.

To think this is a big mistake.

• In a large number of cases, these snoring may be due to obstructive sleep apnea.
• This condition occurs with a sudden interruption of our breathing, which ends up altering the blood pressure.
• This fact, experienced night after night, seriously affects the health of the heart.

2. Neglecting our oral health

This fact is important and we must have it very present in our day to day. Gum disease can affect the health of our heart.

• Periodontal diseases can range from a simple inflammation of the gums to more serious events that lead, in many cases, to loss of teeth.
• We can not forget that the mouth is full of bacteriaand that plaque or tartar can pass to our body with inflammation.
• These bacteria in the bloodstream can damage the health of our heart.
• Do not hesitate, therefore, to periodically visit our dentist.

3. Consume an excess of red meat

Red meat is not harmful, as long as we eat it occasionally.

It is not a question, therefore, of eliminating it entirely from our diet, but of understanding that it contains a high content of saturated fats that affect our cardiovascular health.

So, it should not be on a regular basis on our plates, as well as products such as bacon, sausages or those meat products rich in chemicals that, by themselves, are very negative for our health.

The key, as always, is in balance .

4. Do not be a smoker but live with other smokers

We may be active, athletic, healthy people, who care about taking care of themselves and away from those habits that, in the long run, have consequences for our heart.

However, we may have a co-worker smoking. Moreover, our partner may be.

We can not leave aside one factand it is the one referring to that the passive smokers also develop cardiovascular diseases associated with the tobacco.

Thereforeand as far as we can, we must see to it that our closest people leave this habit harmful to all.

5. Failure to consume fruits and vegetables damages heart health

We all know someone who always tells us that “I do not like green, anything that is not meat to me is not real food.”

However, “real food” is one that, because of its nutritional properties, is average in our health, in the correct functioning of the heart and in our internal balance.

Fruits and vegetables are basic in a healthy diet . Dismissing them to opt for junk food or meat means having a high risk of developing a cardiovascular problem.

6. Emotional problems affect heart health

Problems in our work, disagreements with our bosses or peers, family pressures, worries, existential problems, unhappiness, loneliness …

All these dimensions, maintained permanently, cause a serious impact on the health of the heart .

Stress, anxiety or dissatisfaction result in a high level of cortisol in the bloodand other hormonal alterations that, in the long run, cause important havoc in our general health.

7. Leave tomorrow for the inconvenience I feel today

Pain in the chest or arm, excessive tiredness when climbing stairs, pain in the mouth of the stomach, tension in the neck or jaw, dizziness, occasional fainting, tachycardia …

• All these factors are associated, in many cases, with that symptomatology that accompanies a heart problem.
• However, a good part of us hardly have time to stop to ask our doctor for an appointment.
• It is nothing, we are told, it is nothing but stress . We leave for tomorrow or past the annoyance we feel today until, finally, something more serious happens.

Let’s avoid these situations, let’s take time and understand that these small symptoms have a very specific purpose: to warn us that something happens in our body .