Happy National Heart Day

Promise to take control of your heart health!

CVD (cardiovascular disease) includes conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Other risk factors for CVD:

• obesity
• tobacco
• high cholesterol
• air pollution
• stress
• alcohol
• physical inactivity
• unhealthy diets

What you can do for a heart healthy heart:

• change your lifestyle
• stop using tobacco
• get more active
• eat a heart healthy diet
• maintain a heart healthy weight
• get enough quality sleep
• manage your stress

A home blood pressure monitor can be an effective way to help manage your CVD risk. In the United States, about 77.9 million (1 out of every 3) adults have high blood pressure. Almost half of these people don’t have their blood pressure under control. Uncontrolled hypertension is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. It also raises the risk for kidney and heart failure.

Did you know?

• CVDs take the lives of 17.9 million people every year.
• Studies have found that 15 minutes of brisk walking every day can halve the risk of CVD mortality.
• Every 5-unit increase in BMI is associated with an increase in CVD mortality.
• Using walking apps, tracking steps and setting daily targets can increase physical activity by a third.
• Studies have shown that each hour of reduced sleep increases the likelihood of hypertension by about a third.
• Hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and valvular heart disease are often asymptomatic in the early stages.

Be proactive and talk to your doctor about your risk factors! Knowledge is power – prevent and detect.